


Broken Crescents, Shattered Stars

by RK128



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama & Romance, F/M, Humor, Post 'Monster Bash'/Season 3A, References to Past Episodes/Events
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-04 18:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12776925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RK128/pseuds/RK128
Summary: When Marco returned to Mewni, everything changed in his life; best friend seemingly moved on, his place in the magical land of Mewni being unclear and growing feelings within him started erupting. Star changed much, in her effort to be a better princess and ruler of her land, though lost part of herself along the way. After a failed monster bash, both Star and Marco come to question things all the while facing new dangers, threats and the very thing both avoided for so long; emotions for one another.





	1. Crescent Rising

Sounds of endless chatter and worry were buzzing like bees, unsure what was even going on. Monsters being apprehended by royal guards for no proper reason, royals unsure how to take the situation, and one couple talking in the background about deep worries. One person just took it all in and shook his head in pure aggravation.  _'Things just keep getting worse, huh?'_  Was the sole thought ringing in Marco's mind on repeat, after watching the chaos a few minutes ago. Sitting on a bench with other nobles, Marco drifted his attention toward Star and Tom, both talking about something. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but they hugged and Tom seemed to reinsure her about something. Marco felt his eye twitch, feeling his right fist clench up with pure annoyance.  _'Great… He's doing my role now.'_

"You okay, my good friend?" Marco turned around, seeing Richard pat his shoulder with a winged feather. Despite breaking his leg, Richard seemed fond of Marco. Something Marco was quite relieved by. "Seem to be in poor spirits. Shame my funds weren't enough to make the party work." Marco sighed, giving his newest ally a weak smile.

"Yeah, but… Star tried." Marco covered his face, feeling self-anger come over him. "Why couldn't I help her fight Mina? I mean, we ALWAYS fight together but Tom…" Marco took a deep breath before letting his anger take control. "Sorry… But, kinda tired."

Richard gave a small smirk, pecking Marco's shoulder. "Boy, the princess needs you more than you think." Marco rolled his eyes, not believing it for a second. Richard just gave a reassuring smile, somewhat relieving Marco's nerves. "Well, at least you did a lot." He got a call from some Mewman knights, getting up and walking off. "See you around Sir Diaz!" Marco waved goodbye sheepishly, a frown slowly forming on his face.

Surrounding Marco were other nobles who were baffled by the night's events. Some fondly remembered dancing with the monsters across from them, who were being interrogated despite Princess Star's comments moments ago. Spider Bite Princess just rubbed her head, giving the Slime Monster a somber smile. One he exchanged back.

Pony Head studied the entire situation and just felt awful, though not just because the party was ruined. She studied Star, who had a look of pure disappointment on her face.  _'Poor B-Fly. You like, tried hard girl.'_  She looked at Marco, noticing the blank expression on his face.  _'Again Earth Turd looks bleh. Dunno why, man…'_  She wasn't the only one studying Marco; the other nobles and his friends looked at his sad posture as well. They were quite unsure what caused it. Kelly, out of all of them, knew though. Memories of his sobbing body hugging her chest tightly at the Lava Lake played on a loop. This joined the feeling of being ignored by her friend, watching Star enjoy her date while battling issues with Tad. Tired of recalling these memories and sour thoughts, she got up and sat next to Marco to gently lift him up. "Come on tiger, let's ditch this place." Marco blinked, noticing Kelly take his scissors.

"How will Star…" Marco tried saying but was earned a 'shush' from Kelly. She glared at Star before cutting a rift to Mewni Castle. He looked at Star and Tom, who were leaning on each other's shoulder as if they only had each other. Memories of the other day playing in his mind; hugging Star in her butterfly form, her voice sounding so touched, him using  _magic_ to save her. Emotions of joy and anger bubbled up, pushing him into nearly stomping through the portal.

Just as Kelly was going to enter, Star got up from Tom, rushing over. Part of her noticed Marco's odd expressions across the night. She was very unsure what was wrong with her best friend. Tom followed Star, wondering where she was going. The duo made their way to the portal, seeing Kelly holding Marco's scissors.  _'Marco never gives anyone his scissors… Only me…'_ Star thought, feeling a pit form in her chest.

"Wait a minute, why do you have Marco's scissors?" Star asked, her tired face not in the mood for drama. Tom slowly walked next to her, folding his arms together to keep his cool. She looked at the rift in space, eyes going wide. "He left without me! I don't even have scissors to head back home… Ugh! I don't get him…"

"I could make a portal for you, Starship. It's really no trouble." Tom offered, but Star huffed out hot air. He backed away slightly, being confused by her anger. "Wow. Why are you so upset? I know the night went badly but… Marco just went home. He was part of that fight too." Tom looked into the rift, feeling there was another reason for Marco leaving so soon. He recalled Marco's tone a bit more 'annoyed' than usual when they spoke tonight. Trying to ward off his worried thoughts, he just put a warm hand on Star's shoulder. But she pushed it off, glaring at Kelly.

Kelly just bit her lip, trying not to show annoyance. "Like what Tom said, Marco's tired. If you were a good friend, you would have noticed that before..." She spat, walking into the portal. Star felt something 'snap' inside her. Harshly grabbing Kelly's wrist, the portal vanishing instantly. Star's eyes were wide in both from irrational anger flowing through her body and a sense of worry overcoming her. "Stroke a nerve I guess? Sorry."

"I AM a good friend! I was busy tonight and spent so long getting this whole thing set up. Now I'm worried about who is even my family anymore, my magic going all weird again and now you are accusing me of being a bad friend!?" Star shouted, getting right in Kelly's face. Kelly held her ground, fists clenched into thick balls. Tom backed away, while Pony Head and the other nobles watched with great interest. The match was lit and everyone was wondering who was going to blow up first.

"Then where were you when Marco nearly broke down during the SoulRise? Huh?!" Kelly snapped, making Star recoil a bit. "I get you were busy with Tom but… Marco realized something painful and you weren't there for him. Even when he was hurt, he still _tried_ helping me with my problems. But when he hurt  _you,_ he dropped every single thing to make your jealous butt happy! I just..." She just took a deep breath. "Sorry." Kelly made another rift, leading to her home dimension. She shoved the scissors in Star's face in a fit of angered frustration. Star nearly dropped them, surprised at her friend blowing up like this. "Just don't be stupid and push him away again. You're lucky he's putting up with you." Kelly jumped inside, feeling relieved to finally share her thoughts on the frankly stupid situation currently taking place.

Star looked at the scissors, tightly clenching them as if they would vanish. Pony Head hovered toward Star and Tom, whistling in amusement. "Dang girl. That was, like, heated. Think Kelly has it baaaaad for Earth Turd?" Star just continued glaring at the scissors, feeling some odd emotion come over her. Guilt? Frustration? Sadness? She couldn't pinpoint it. But it  _hurt_. Pony Head grew a more worried look, seeing Star's nearly blank face. "Okay, seriously B-Fly. Sup with you and Turd? Somethin's been waaaay off since he got here."

Tom let out some hot flames from his nostril and slowly walked off, not wanting to hear this discussion. His voice gets progressively more annoyed as he mumbles demonic curses.  _'Better talk with Diaz before things go south fast. Can't believe this… He likes her, doesn't he?_ ' Using his demonic magic, Tom made a burning red portal. He looked back, just out of curiosities sake. Star doesn't even notice him leaving, angering him further. He just hopped inside before his anger reached a breaking point. Everyone noticed the demon prince leaving, but Star; her eyes were glued to Marco's dimensional scissors.

"I… I don't know. He helped me tonight and we just solved a huge issue the other day." Star recalled the odd moment of  _something_ she felt again when returning from that realm of magic. She was overjoyed to see Marco again, feeling such warmth hugging him. But him leaving now? Being a bit sour about Tom tonight? Star tried piecing it together but nothing came to her mind. She just sighed, rubbing her tired forehead. "I can't deal with this right now. Want me to cut you a rift home Pony?"

"Yeah, sounds like good and stuff." Pony watched Star make the rift and she nuzzled into her shoulder. "I got your back girl." Star mumbled a 'thanks' before seeing Pony fully went into the rift, now alone. She sat back down, looking up at the sky. Her namesake shined brightly, but she didn't feel bright at all.  _'What… What is going on? I don't know anymore…'_

* * *

Marco laid on his bed in Mewni Castle, a few hours after Star returned to the castle. Still wearing his suit, he was playfully spinning his scissors that Star returned to him before getting some sleep, though a sea thoughts race through his mind.  _'I gave up a lot for Star's happiness. Jackie cutting things off with me, ending my Princess Marco line for good, even upsetting H-Poo… What do I have to show for it?'_ He sat upright, looking at the wall.  _'Maybe… Maybe liking Star just isn't worth it. Though her thing with Tom clearly isn't working anymore. It's like she used him or something.'_ He would be annoyed for his friend, but his more selfish emotions rang through, a small smirk dancing across his face before vanishing.  _'Tom doesn't know Star like I do…'_

"Hey." Marco heard a voice that sent shivers down his spine, nearly jumping out of his bed. Janna slowly slid out from underneath it, holding out a flashlight. "Boo. Fear me." Marco would normally yelp in fear but he just sighed instead, sitting back down. "You're no fun." She sat next to him, giving a sly smirk. "So, had fun with Star tonight? I'm sure you two had… For some  _fun_ alone time. If you catch my drift."

Marco groaned loudly, glaring harshly at Janna. "Can you shut up, please?! She has Tom. So… Just stop." His voice was thick with hurt, something Janna never heard before. She moved closer to Marco, throwing her arm over his shoulder. "I… Sorry for snapping. Very long night."

"I saw how she looked at you man." Marco laughed bitterly, shaking his head to ward off darker emotions. Janna bit her lip, unsure how to continue. "Come on, don't be dense." He just looked away, a frown etching across his face. Janna sighed, laying back and relaxing. "So, how was that bash thing? Was it a  _real_ monster bash? What kinds of spooky creatures did you meet? Any hot demons?"

"Okay, in order." Marco started counting down. "It wasn't very good due to stuff happening, lots of monsters showed up but they were really nice, I met some a slime guy and Tom was the only demon there." He sighed, lying next to Janna. Both blankly watched the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the room. "Star put so much effort into getting it done right and I'm so proud of her for that. But we didn't consider people capturing monsters and Heinous showing up. So, I don't even know what happened, but I have a feeling bad stuff will go down soon." Janna just bit her lip, continuing to stare at the ceiling with Marco. He sighed, trying to change the topic into something more light-hearted. "So… You find it odd, that I was able to use magic the other day? I never expected that."

"Nah," Janna replied, sitting upright and punching Marco's arm. He sat up as well, rubbing the punched arm. "That was wild. Got some sick cheek marks for a bit." Touching his cheeks, Marco felt some odd power course through him. "Know how that happened?" He stayed still, being deep in thought for a few moments to process the question.

"Not… Sure." Marco tapped his chin, sorting out bits of information in his mind. "I remember the Blood Moon binding 'our souls' or something. So maybe that's why?" He shrugged his shoulders, slouching forward. "All I know is..." Janna raised an eyebrow, hearing Marco sigh. "I mean… It's painfully clear I love Star now. More so than I ever felt about anyone. So, being her Squire has been fun recently. But…" He clenched his right fist, taking a few deep breaths. "I don't know…"

Janna rubbed his back, feeling the tension in the room.  _'Poor kid, leaving Jackie to just be in the doghouse.'_ She got what he was implying, wondering how she could help. Putting on her trademark smirk, she playfully elbowed Marco. "Hey man, you know what to do. Just be… Your 'Marco-self' and eventually Princess Coko Pants will wake up." Marco raised his head, having a hopeful smile. "Wow, you really  _do_ look like a sick puppy."

"Shut up," Marco responded, feeling a small grin form on his face. "But… I feel better now. Thanks." Janna lightly punched Marco's arm before jumping off. She slid back under his bead, making Marco raise an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" He asked deadpanned.

"Sleeping in my new bed," Janna replied, now dead silent like a vampire in its cave. Marco groaned audibly, laying back down on his bed. If this was a year ago, he would have caused a huge fit. Now? He just doesn't care anymore. Janna could feel this, frowning as she turned over.  _'Star better not mess with his feelings. Or I will have something to say about that.'_

* * *

Marco tossed and turned in his bed, the hours falling down like grains of sand. It felt slow. Painful. Exhausting. Sleep completely alluded him, forcing him up. Yawning loudly, he checked his phone for the time. ' _5 AM? Huh… Guess I have a lot on my mind._ ' Marco threw on his hoodie and walked toward his door. Loud snoring got his attention, coming from under his bed. He saw Janna shaking, as seemingly cold for some reason. Marco took the covers off his bed and threw them over her, seeing Janna's shaking frame slowly calm down. Chapping her lips, she nuzzled into on her make-shift pillow.  _'Star really needs to magic you up a room.'_  He let the thought linger in his mind, walking down the long hallways before him.

It took a while, but Marco eventually found the royal kitchen. Pouring a glass of water, he sat down at the table. Rubbing his head, Marco felt a splitting headache come over him. "Something wrong?" Marco looked up, seeing Eclipsa in her bed-attire drinking a cup of tea. If Marco was in a more caring mood, he would have gone into a battle stance. "You aren't doing that 'hand dance' right now."

"It's not… Whatever." Marco sighed, resting his head on the table. "I hate my life." Eclipsa giggled, earning a raised eyebrow from Marco. "You know what will happen if the guards catch you. Right? Why are you here anyway…"

"Oh, have a lot on my mind." She swelled her cup of tea with a spoon, having a somber expression. "Miss my little one. Sometimes I think of her during my dreams. Holding my little girl was such a lovely experience." She gave a small smile toward Marco. "I'm sure you had a lovely night, dancing with your love."

Marco grit his teeth, harshly glaring at Eclipsa. "Don't play with me." He slugged his water, nearly breaking the glass with how hard he slammed it. "I only helped her deal with the setup. Ditched me for Tom most of the night." Eclipsa tapped her chin, leaning over the table. She poked Marco's cheek, a crescent moon blinking faintly before vanishing. "What are you doing?"

"My… Interesting how she isn't with her fated mate." Eclispa said with engrossment. "Tell me, would you do anything to get her heart?" This got Marco's attention, looking intently at Eclipsa, as if she could answer something. She smirked folding her arms. "I can say that's a resounding yes."

"I…" Marco felt torn, as he got a  _bad_ vibe off Eclipsa. Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward, having a serious expression. "I would do anything for Star. But if she doesn't love me… That's fine. Just want her to be happy."

"Yes, that's noble dear boy." She took a sip of her tea, having a sly smile. "But don't you think she would be…. I don't know, happier with you compared to Timmy?"

"Tom. Guy's name is Tom." Marco raised his eyebrow. "Star never talked about Tom with you before? You are like… Her friend or something." Eclipsa giggled.

"Oh, all she does is speak so  _highly_ of this Earth boy. Who I assume is you, Marco." Eclipsa casually said. Marco felt his heart race but calmed down after a breath or two. "She clearly wants you. I saw how far you went to close her… Odd portal magic. Tell me, if you had the power to get her love. Would you grasp it?"

Marco wanted to say no but his heart screamed  _yes_. He decided to remain silent, but Eclipsa smirked as if he answered her question. She got up and put the teacup down. She started to walk off but heard something from Marco. "Wait." She stopped, turning around to hear his voice, a smile still on her face. "No, I won't do that. I could never force Star into loving me. That's… It's not right. I'm sorry but no thank you."

She shrugged her shoulders, leaning on a wall. "Well, I offered. But I could also do the opposite too. The heart is… Such a painful thing. I remember feeling heartbreak myself at your age sweetie. You know where I am. Do you want those feelings gone?" Marco only felt panic and fear at this suggestion, his mind racing. "I can tell it's a bit… Overwhelming dear. Take your time to think about it." Eclipsa walked off, leaving Marco alone with such a big option on his lap.

' _I will never make a deal with her. I remember what happened to Star's mom after that. But… If I could just… Remove these feelings… But what IF Star likes me back. I mean, she DID have a crush on me at some point. But… Things could be normal again… I really need to think this over.'_ Marco tried drinking from his glass but noticed it was empty. "…Should get some sleep." He sighed, putting the cup away and walking back to his room.

* * *

Along the way, Marco past Star's door, seeing it glow golden.  _'Not again!'_  Marco kicked the door down, seeing her just… Shake violently. Her body was flickering gold and yellows, like a literal sun. Marco rushed over to the bed, trying to shake her awake. But her eyes were closed, tears coming down them. He noticed Star tightly holding a pillow for dear life. "S-Star? What's wrong?" She didn't respond, only tossing and turning. "It's… It will be okay." He sat closer to her, gently rubbing her exposed back. Glossaryck soon jumped into Marco's lap, looking at him like a lonely kitten. Petting his ruby head, Marco kept an eye on Star, intently studying her sleeping form.

Her face looked horrified, breaking Marco's heart.  _'What are you dreaming about? Maybe you are thinking about Toffee again? Remember you talking about that ages ago. But… Why are you so scared? Things are okay… Well, Heinous is Eclipsa's daughter and Mina is quite bonkers…'_ He shook his head, taking one of Star's many hands, giving it a firm squeeze.

"Marco…" She mumbled, tightening her hold on the pillow. "Don't… I'm… Marco…" His eyes grew wide, body nearly springing to life upon hearing her mention his name.

"Globgor! Glooooobgor!" Glossaryck hollered, rushing out of the room in a panic. Marco sighed, rubbing his temples in annoyance. Looking back at Star, he notices her gripping his hand. She continued mumbling, saying his name over and over again.

"Star? I'm right here. Did… Did I do something?" He asked, feeling his voice shake with worry. "I… I'm sorry if I did anything. I will never…" Marco noticed tears coming down his face, wiping them away. The only sounds in the room were sad moaning from Star and Marco's heart thumping rapidly. Star slowly opened her eyes, nearly tackling into Marco. "No… Don't…" Marco felt his entire body heat up, though he wasn't sure from which emotion. Star's body slowly returned to normal, blinking as she studied the figure before her. Marco's face was bright red, with Star realizing what was going on. "MARCO?! I'm so sorry I… Waaait." He rolled out of the bed, standing still like a statue. "What are you doing in my room?"

Marco thought of a million excuses in his mind but just blurted out the first thought. "I thought you were sleep portaling again!" He nearly shouted.  _'Nice save Diaz… Say that a bit louder and she might think you like her or something…'_ Star looked at herself, noticing the golden dress but no extra arms. "I had issues sleeping and on the way to the kitchen, your room was glowing golden. It was… scary; you were shaking a lot and was having a nightmare."

Star recalled the dream, feeling her blood turn cold. "Oh… Well, I think… I will be okay now." Marco sighed in relief, sheepishly rubbing his neck. "But… Are you okay? The party was…"

"I know, wasn't the hit you were expecting. Always next time right?" Marco reinsured with a wide smile. Star felt joy seeing his happy expression, but soon her own face grew blank. Marco gulped, sitting down next to her. "Do you have anything on your mind?"

Star recalled what Kelly told her hours ago and bit her lip. "What… What happened during that trip to Lava Lake Beach? I remember you acting all… Down and stuff when we got back." Marco's face looked like a deer in headlights. "You can tell me anything buddy, okay? I don't want you to be upset over something I did."

"S-Star? Where did this come from?" Marco laughed it off, slowly getting up. "I'm a-okay. Marco Diaz never lets anything bother him." Star raised an eyebrow, making Marco sweat slightly. "Okay somethings bother me. But I'm really okay." Star folded her arms, narrowing her eyes. "Seriously, I'm  _fine_."

"If you say so…" Star wasn't convinced, her mind still at unease. "But I'm your best friend Marco." He was unsure what to even say at this point but did one thing he knew always made them feel better. Tackling Star into a hug, he gently rubbed her back. "Marco…"

"I'm here if you need me too, Star. Never forget that." Despite his current state of emotions, he  _meant_ this. Star let out a relieved laugh and hugged Marco back. They stayed like this for a few moments before letting go. "I'm really beat…"

"Yeah, me too. Want to eat some late night nachos?" Star nearly pleaded. "I really missed having them." Marco spun around his dimensional scissors, making a rift to the Barito place on Earth. "Ooooooohhhhh! Barito's! Let'sgoLet'sgo!"

"I think it would be best if I grab them for us quick. Be right back." Marco rolled into the portal and it soon closed. Star was now alone, deep in thought. Her dream continued playing on loop within her mind. She hugged her knees, feeling fear overtake her. Before she could sob again, the rift opened, with Marco leaping out and casually holding out a tray of two barrios, one drenched in sugar. "Two burritos, with one Suragrito for the lovely lady."

Star had a beaming smile, instantly grabbing the sugar covered one. Marco bit into his own and they quietly ate their food together.


	2. Dynamic Bonds

The sun was shining brightly into Star's room in Mewni Castle, but only loud groans and pouts were heard. Star slouched over her desk, feeling her brain utterly exhausted after nearly two sleepless nights of writing and planning. Crumbling up another ball of paper, she chucked it into a pile, surrounding a semi-amused Marco, intently watching Star from his seat. "To the people of Mewni, I propose we… UGH!" She took the paper and yet again made it into a ball. Tossing it harshly, Marco caught it, starting to organize the piles. "I can't think of anything!"

"If you keep killing all those trees, maybe this wouldn't be a problem." Marco joked, unwrapping the ball and nearly fixing up the paper on Star's desk. "I don't get why you aren't asking for help here." Star sighed, hanging off her chair like a child.

"Because my Mom hates monsters." Star refuted, earning a raised eyebrow from Marco. "Well… I could get Buff Frog to help out… He IS the new Monster Expert after all." Marco smiled, elbowing Star.

"See? No need too…" He heard loud buzzing from his pocket, checking his phone. Studying it, he had a small frown on his face. "Oh, uh… You should see this." He passed Star his phone. Star looked at it, seeing a swarm of dates and times with her name on it. She intently studied it, feeling confused. "Before you ask, this how I've been keeping tabs on everything. Trying to plan everything out by the hour and what not. Not sure how 'smart' your compact mirror phone is…"

Star just passed Marco the phone back, feeling surprised come over her.  _'He really has been worrying THAT much about me? He… He cares about me being the best Princess I can be…'_ Star smiled, recalling how seriously he took planning out the ill-fated monster bash a few days back. "Thanks, Marco, this is a huuuuge help."

"Anything for you." Marco casually commented, turning around and organizing the papers. "You really need to fix your aiming skills… Keep missing the piles I was making for you." He didn't notice Star's blushing face, shaking it off before Marco turned around. "So, from what I noticed on the phone… You have to talk to your mom later and…" He groaned inwardly but put a blank expression on his face. "...Meet up with Tom for your three month anniversary. Wait…" Marco let that information finally sink in. "You've dated him for three months? Wow… Uh, congrats." He really meant this, wondering how Tom changed so much since he last talked to him on Earth.

Star put on a small smile, relaxing in her chair. "Thanks, Marco…" She tried reading his face, but Marco's was blank. "After the Silver Bell Ball and a corn shake hang out, we really got closer. Still a hot head though, just doesn't like showing it much." Marco let himself snicker a bit, sitting down on Star's bed. "I never said this… But sorry about Jackie."

"Oh…" Marco bit his tongue.  _'She should say that about Hekapoo too… NO, don't think like that… Yesh, what are you, a jerk Diaz?'_ He looked up, putting on a more confident expression. "Well, we ended things well. Still unsure why she called things off with me.  _'The moment I blurt out 'I called Jackie my best friend' Star will put one-and-one together. Better keep my mouth shut HOW things ended.'_

Star got up and sat next to Marco, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I feel part if that was my fault so… I'm sorry Marco." He handwaved it, putting on a smile. "If you…" Marco stood up, having a proud grin.

"Look, I'm fine. See? And you say  _I_ worry too much." Star laughed at the comment, feeling her oddly jumpy nerves calm down. "Why don't I give you some space for your date with Tom? Let me know if you need anything." Star raised her finger to ask something. "Don't worry about Gloss, found a way to keep the guy quiet." He sighed inwardly, thanking Eclipsa for teaching that little 'lesson' in magic the other day.  _'Gloss seems really happy when you rub his ruby head for a while. So, it must be good for him… Hopefully.'_

"Good good…" Star released a relieved sigh. "Can you look at my letter though? I'm having a really hard time thinking of things…" Marco nodded, proudly folding his arms. "You're the best!" She hugged him, causing Marco to hug back. Both felt such warmth, but a knock on Star's door cut the embrace short.

* * *

Tom gently opened the door, peaking out his smirking face. "Hey, Starship!" Marco nearly slid a few feet back, pacing while using his phone. Tom raised an eyebrow, looking at Star. "What's up with him?"

Star blinked a few times, snapping back to reality. "Oh! Uh… Marco's just planning my day. His phone has the 'smarts' and stuff." Tom just snickered, throwing an arm around Star. Both shared a bright smile. "Happy anniversary Princess."

She kissed his cheek, poking his face. "You too Hellboy." Marco felt his nerves itch seeing Star flirt with Tom, thanking whatever got him for installing an odd puzzle game on his phone.

He just blankly watched that, seeing the puzzle blocks slowly breaking apart.  _'Like my heart right now…'_ Tom looked at Marco, giving his friend a welcoming smile.  _'Despite the situation, he's your friend. Don't be a jerk.'_ Putting his phone away, he held out his fist. "Happy anniversary man. Don't you burn down wherever you're heading."

Tom pounded Marco's fist, feeling relief at his friend not hating him.  _'I still need to talk to him about THAT… But glad our friendship's still fine.'_ He laughed, folding his arms. "Well, I'm sure Star will set the place on fire first." Marco tried holding in a laugh, before nearly busting his gut. Tom joined him, both boy's laughing. Star made a loud groan, largely targeted toward Marco.

"What? I remember you set fire to the parks on Earth whenever I walked the Laser puppies with you." Star raised her finger, trying to have a counter-argument. "Or that time you broke the billboard at the Barito place." She puffed her cheeks, nearly hitting her limit. "Okay, will stop teasing. You two have your fun."

"Wait." Marco stopped, looking at Tom.  _'We do have a few hours…'_ Tom gave a playful smirk, throwing an arm around Marco's shoulder. "Why don't you lose a few times in Smash Demons 4? You always love that." Star tried holding back a snicker but noticed the nearly shifting expression coming off of Marco.

"Yeah… Sounds fun." Marco responded with a voice mixing joy and anger. Tom noticed this and let go, having a worried expression. "Don't tell me  _you_ are in the mood for losing for once Tom."

"What about our date thingy?" Star asked, getting the boy's attention. Tom just held out his phone, showing the time being '12 PM'. Marco looked at his phone, noticing no time was given for his planner app.

"Star… You never mentioned the time." Tom raised an eyebrow, causing Marco to look up. "Just saying. Star normally blurts out times for things. She just casually mentioned your guys anniversary and that was it." He put the phone away, trying to keep a thin smile. "I will work on that letter for you later Star but come on Tom. Going to get my game system set up. …Can't believe how pricey a console is at Quest Buy…" Marco closed Star's door, leaving her and Tom alone.

Star sighed, sitting down on her bed. "Been so out of it lately, must have forgotten a few things. Sorry, Tom." Tom sat down next to her, gently patting her back. "You go have fun with Marco. Been like ages since you two hung out."

"Okay, Starship." He kissed her cheek, before gently closing her door. Glossaryck rushed out of the room before he closed it, earning a confused look from Star. "Uh… Your… Magic person ran into Marco's room."

"Just let him do his thang. Glossaryck is dun stupid now." Tom shrugged, closing the door and leaving Star alone.

* * *

Tom walked into Marco's room, smirking at how familiar it looked.  _'Starship sure knows her magic.'_ He looked at Marco, setting up the game console. "You haven't even hooked it up yet? I remember you gushing about that game months ago." Marco tuned Tom out, sorting out the wires and odd magic TV had set up. "Bro?"

"What?" Marco turned around, seeing Tom look somewhat confused. "Oh, sorry. This is different from my game box on Earth. Stupid magic cables…" He tossed Tom a controller and the two sat down, eyes glued to the TV. A bright intro video played, earning pleased grins on both Tom and Marco's faces. "So what's with you? Likely been busy being 'Prince of the Underworld' and all that. Star's working herself raged the past few weeks."

"Not much to do when…" Tom's face grew concerned once Marco mentioned Star. "Star is worried about something?" Marco just glared at the TV, harshly pressing buttons.

"Well, she's trying to sort out monster rights stuff on Mewni and her plans for that crashed twice. Um…" He tapped his chin, pondering if he should comment on this or not. Marco sighed, pausing the game and putting the controller down. "I had to clean up a mess she caused with portals the past two weeks. Not to mention her being a bit more at odds with her mom."

Tom was shocked hearing all this, as Star  _never_ mentioned any of her personal situation on dates or hangouts. "Why… Why didn't she say anything about this to me?" Marco turned his head, having a face of annoyance.

"I don't know, I told her everything about my dates and times with Jackie. Always dropping everything to help her, even though it led to Jackie leaving me." Marco tried hard to conceal is inner frustration, but it wasn't working. Tom slowly scooted back. "I mean… the whole 'Squire' thing is a lot of work."  _'As if I'm her husband or something…'_ Marco thought to himself. "But I don't mind it much. It… It always feels nice helping her. Though I  _am_ confused she hasn't told you about the monster rights stuff."

"I know." Tom let out some angered breaths. "I'm part-monster too. People always assuming the worst before seeing my face." Marco patted his shoulder, giving an understanding smile.

"On Earth, I've dealt with my fair share of unfair teasing. I mean… Echo Creek is very welcoming and stuff. But when I got here on Mewni, it felt like… No one wanted me." Tom frowned, getting this impression himself.

' _I remember leaving this castle once Marco came back… The guy was a complete mope, even after Star squired him. Mmm…'_ Tom gave a small smiled, elbowing Marco. "At least you got Star still, right man?"

"Yeah…" Marco's voice rang hollow.  _'Really pulling this man? I'm trying_ _ **not**_ _to hate you. Just… Stop Tom.'_  He focused all his effort on the game, not noticing Tom falling behind during the fight. "I'm happy to see her again and we are friends still. It feels… Like your mind and heart are punching each other over and over. Then both finally that final  _whack_ and you feel as if your world changes forever." He put the controller down, rubbing his forehead. "I wish things could go back to normal sometimes before Star left Earth."

Tom was always interested in hearing about this, more so considering Song Day. "Dude, you were right next to her during Song Day." Marco felt he knew where things were heading, standing up and taking a deep breath.

"I'm fine with things man. Happy for you two, okay?" Marco tried to sound happy but again, his voice came off forced. "I'm more proud of you than anything. Took my advice to heart huh? Trying to be happy for yourself and see where things fall."

"You… Told me that?" Tom asked as Marco sat back down. "All I remember from that time was reviving Macky Hand and watching him beat the snot out of the movie theater guys." Marco laughed at the memory, shaking his head.

"No, it was when you cheated at Pin-Pong." Tom playfully raised an eyebrow. "Okay fine. When you played it  _your way._ Anyway, I told you to let Star like you on her own terms. Not force anything to happen. Well, look at what happened. You changed yourself to be happy and… I guess Star was really into that. Kudos to you man." Marco punched Tom's arm, genuinely feeling proud of his friend.

Tom smiled at the comment, never hearing anyone say 'good job' toward him before. Not even Star. "Thanks, man… That was cool of you." Marco's hand waved the comment, looking back at the TV. "So… you liked the SoulRise?"

Marco dropped the controller out of his hand, feeling his nerves rattle.  _'Keep doing that Tom… Please, just KEEP it up.'_ Taking yet another deep breath, Marco composed himself. "It was cool. After Star ignored Kelly's issues with Tad, I ran after to help. Some… Stuff happened and I ended up feeling like crap. Kelly took me to see the SoulRise and we celebrated my birthday."

"Hold up, your BIRTHDAY was at the SouRise?!" Tom asked in shock, earning a baffled look from Marco. "Dude... I'm sorry. I didn't even get you anything."

"Hey, Star forgot too. Not a huge deal at all. Besides my gift was, well… Seeing that SoulRise thing. I felt a lot better after watching that." Tom just watched Marco, studying his face. He couldn't pick up anything but noticed a frown.

' _I knew it...'_ Tom thought to himself.  _'Kid likes Star and somehow saw SOMETHING during…'_ It was as if the puzzle pieces were coming together.  _'He saw me wearing his hoodie… He likely saw Star and I kiss too… No wonder the kid's been so helpful to Star, more so than usual.'_ Tom nodded to himself, patting Marco's back. "Glad you felt better. Now…" Tom pressed start on the controller, seeing his character cuck five fireballs. Marco frantically pressed buttons to block the attack. "Ready to lose?"

"Hell no," Marco shouted proudly, mashing together a combo attack. The two friends played the game, both venting out differing emotions for the next hour.

* * *

Marco sat on his bed, casually using a cat toy to keep Glossaryck amused while looking over Star's monster proposal letter. It has been a good two hours or so since Tom and Star left for their anniversary date, leaving Marco alone for the day. Having a plain piece of paper on the side, he tapped his chin in thought. "Globgor!" He looked down, having expectant eyes. A somber wine made Marco snicker to himself, using the string to keep the blue magic man running around.

"Ever wonder why life is so odd sometimes Gloss? I mean… I'm here on Mewni for a reason. And you are…" Glossaryck just sat like a dog, joining the nearby laser puppies. "…really stupid right now. Why are you acting like this again?" Glossaryck tilted his head, earning a light groan from Marco. "Anyway, I need some time to get this letter thing drafted for Star. So, you just…" He heard tearing, turning around and seeing Glossaryck gnawing on a Macky Hand poster. "…Destroy my room. Star better fix that later." He swerved around, looking at the letter.

Marco had a glossary of Mewman terms and rules nearby, trying to pick apart what rights Monsters even have on Mewni. "So… Monster reserves are here. And we have the forest of death. So that's their real home? Lovely… But I remember that cave where those cool guys hung out at." He tapped his chin, flipping through the book. Marco landed on various anti-monster acts, making his face morph into a scowl. "Yeah, this  _clearly_ doesn't mirror stuff on Earth or anything… Unbelievable." Marco slammed the book shut, feeling slight anger come over him. "No wonder Star's trying so hard, things are horrible here for monsters."

Taking a deep breath, Marco tried writing out his version of the letter on the spare piece of paper nearby. After a few minutes of writing, he put it neatly on top of the draft Star wrote up. "Okay… Missing some specific Mewman acts not in that dusty book over there but, sure Star can fix this up later." Cracking his fingers, he spun around, feeling happy with himself. "I'm a good Squire." While joy was flowing through Marco, it felt somewhat hallow, realizing a cold fact. "But… I'm not with her right now. Tom is…" Shaking his head to shove away any sour thoughts, he looked through his phone. "Okay, so there has to be something else I could do here."

To his surprise, nothing he could help with was listed. Making a 'huh' sound, Marco stood up, looking around his room. "So… I have off today?" Glossyarck and the Laser Puppies nodded, sitting on the torn up poster from before. "Mmm…" Marco felt something worm on his belt, touching his scissors. They were glowing a faint red. "Why would…" A thought struck Marco light lighting, a dumb grin forming on his face. "So H-Poo needs her battle buddy still after all." Marco rushed into his closest and tossed on his leather jacket, grabbed his hidden backpack filled with weapons and even some rations for worse-comes-to-worse. Looking at Glossaryck and the Laser Puppies, they gave him a knowing glare. "Oh come on, just want to check up on a friend." They continued staring. "I won't be out long." It continued. "Okay enough! I… I burned my bridge with Hekapoo recently and… I really wanted to fix things up, okay?" The group just cuddled up in a ball, using the torn up poster as a cover. "You are so annoying…"

Marco throws on his backpack and made a rift using his glowing blades. It was an orange vortex, making a humming sound he missed so much. "Hope you would be willing to hear me out H-Poo." He jumped inside, the vortex vanishing. A figure slowly slide out from under the bed, having a sly grin on her face. She rushed over to Marco's desk, opening up his laptop and putting on a video.

"So, dog dudes and magic man. Up for some movies?" Janna asked playfully, with the group hovered around the computer. She pressed play and an image Marco exploring some odd location popped up. "Now, I got  _great_ blackmail material on you, Diaz." She kicked back, took out a bowl of popcorn and just enjoyed the show.

* * *

Sounds of chatter and gossip echoed in a fancy restaurant. But this wasn't new to Star though; Tom and visited this place at least once every week since they dated again. She kicked back in her chair, relaxing in her blue narwhal dress. "So bud, what's on the menu for today?" Tom fixed his suit jacket and tie, making Star raise an eyebrow. "Look, you always look cute but… You really had to dress up today?"

Tom finished fixing his tie, giving a content smile. "Star, this is our anniversary. I wanted it to be special and… Well, I never expected us to be going out again. But here we are." He took her hand and gently kissed it. "You don't know how happy I am right now." Though a thought crept into the back of his mind, he shoved it away for later.

Star kissed his hand back, feeling a warm grin grow on her face. "Yesh, you are so cheesy. It's cute." The two laughed as they sat back down. Tom noticed Star growing a more thoughtful face, her blue orbs looking somewhat worried. She noticed Tom's worried expression, putting on a smile. "Oh, it's nothing. Just got a lot on my mind."

"Well, why not share it?" Tom suggested. "We got all day." Star's face grew more relaxed but Tom felt the anxiety coming off of her.  _'Likely still worried about things after that party. Ugh… Stupid Heinous. Though, Star's been a lot more stressed out lately. This is the first time we actually went out for a while…'_ Shaking the thought away, he snapped his fingers, summoning a burning rose. "I know you aren't a huge fan of these, but I always love making them for you."

Star took it and gave it a faint sniff. The mixture ash and lilac made her heart grow warm. Creating a simple vase, she put the flower in the middle of them, it's embers giving a faint glow over the table. "I'm starting to like 'em. Make some more for later." Tom grinned, nodding in response. Star looked over the menu, rubbing her chin. "I wonder if we can get anything  _but_ corn for once…"

"I mean, we could order something with meat," Tom suggested, looking over his menu. "Though I always love me a corn burger." Star's eyes lit up, matching Tom's bright expression. "Want to bug the chiefs?"

" **Yesss,** " Star said darkly, the two royal teens crawling under the tables. The other couples only laughed to themselves, seeing this sight a number of times. Star and Tom always caused trouble whenever they went out, but this time it felt… Different. Tom noticed Star's aggressive side was a bit more active.

' _She normally doesn't suggest this; hasn't since we dated years ago.'_ Tom pondered as they went into the kitchen. Star used her wand to summon a small cooking snail, having beady eyes and two hands. Star gave it a knowing look, with the creature sneaking past the royal chiefs. It finally landed near a bowl, doing its magic. Star had a bright grin, but a thought came to her.

' _I haven't used that spell to cook anything since… I helped Marco bake that cake for his mom's birthday on Earth. Why… Why am I doing this?'_ She couldn't shake the thought off, just pondered more on it.  _'Maybe it's… Nah, can't be.'_ Star crawled away, with Tom following cautiously. The couple sat back down in their seats, Star having a guilty face. "Uh… Sorry about that. Shouldn't act that silly I guess…" She waved her wand, making the snail vanish right before putting something in the oven. Nearby chiefs saw a poof, shrugging their shoulders in minor confusion.

"Hey, it's fine Starship. Just…" Tom sighed, taking Star's hand. "Come on, let it all out. What's wrong?" Star gave a somber smile to Tom.

"Well… A lot has been on my mind since M…" She bit her tongue feeling shocked almost saying his name.  _'WHAT?! I'm with TOM! Why did I even THINK about Marco?!'_ Star shook her head frantically but Tom only snickered. "Sigh… You know what I was going to say, don't you?"

"Duh. You were going to talk about some guy named Mac messing with the royal plumbing." Tom said casually as Star sighed in relief. "You are really talking about Marco though, aren't you?" Star felt her face grow pale before a tired laugh escaped her lips. "I can read you like a book Star, you know that."

"Yeah yeah…" Star tapped her fingers together, feeling nervous all of a sudden. "It's odd. He's been so eager to help a lot lately, even when… I wasn't the nicest to him at first." Tom folded his arms, wondering where she was going with this. "But something happened recently. I've been 'sleep portaling' and he ended up saving me from… Some odd talking ponies. They were cool though."

Tom felt his jaw drop before slamming hands down. "You was in danger before that whole monster bash thing. And you trusted  _him_ more than  _me_? Better yet, you let him deal with things alone… When we  _both_ could have helped you?!" Tom kept his temper in check, but he was starting to heat up. Star gulped, gently passing him some water. He looked it confused before some fire was coming out. "Oh, crud. Sorry." He drank the water and took a few breaths. "You can't let him do everything. He's only one person Star."

She blinked a few times, surprised at Tom's reaction. "You… aren't mad I'm spending a lot of time with him?" Star was quite confused, as she thought Tom of all people might get the wrong idea. Tom only laughed, confusing her further.

"Marco is my only real guy friend Star. I trust him to watch over you more than myself." He leaned forward, having a more focused expression. "But… We never talked about your 'moment' before leaving Earth." Star felt some sweat come down her back, looking away from Tom. "We don't have to talk about that now… But you put it off since we started dating. Just… Want to be clear about things you know." Tom's voice was gentle and careful, fearful of crossing any lines.

"I… Um…" Star couldn't really form words right now, as this topic was buried quite deep inside her. Before she could process a simple response, the couple heard coughing. Looking for a waiter, he clicked his pen. Tom sighed, putting on a smile.

"We would like two corn burgers, some fries and an ice cream Sunday for dessert." The waiter only nodded, walking off after writing everything down. Tom took Star's hand, giving it a firm but soft squeeze. "Let's enjoy our date and we can talk about this later okay? I'm sorry for bringing it up. I… I didn't mean to open up old wounds."

Star just smiled back, kissing Tom's cheek. "Thanks… But I will answer that after we eat sum grub!" Her infectious and bubbly voice was back, though Tom felt some sadness within it. He just took a drink of his cup, hiding the burning flames erupting from his hidden hand.

* * *

Marco stumbled out of a portal but landed gracefully. "Still have my skills." He jumped back a bit, noticing his voice deepening. Looking at his arms and chest, he grinned boastfully. "I got my hot bod back!" He made playful poses before calming down. "Now, here for a reason… I think." A keen sense of smell from years of hunting returned, making Marco narrow toward the direction of a castle. "Ah, H-Poo seems to be busy with the forgery." He makes a loud whistle, hearing the intense roar of his partner Nachos flying near him.

She tackled into Marco, making loud purrs. He simply hugged nearly life-long travel companion. "Daddy's been busy helping Star. But I'm here to pay your mom a visit. Ready for a ride?" Marco gently asked. Nachos nodded, relaxing her wings and leaving her back exposed. Marco hopped on and a roar of flames and burning tires flung him forward.

Riding across the fire-coated landscape filled Marco with nostalgic memories, past and present, of his time, exploring Hekapoo's domain.  _'We had so many years… But, I pushed it all away for Star's sake. She's with Tom but… I made a promise. Not going adventuring again. However…'_ He revved up Nacho's horns, making her fly high into the sky.  _'Doesn't mean I can't patch things up with an important friend.'_

Nachos and Marco were unaware of Hekapoo intently watching them come to her castle, narrowing her eyes. "Oh, what does  _he_ want now? Already agreed to keep my yap shut about Star." She sighed, walking toward her forage and making another pair of blades. "Not going to lie, it was fun reconnecting with him recently. Though seeing him just…" She took a deep breath, kicking the thought away. "No… Marco didn't use me. He… He said that himself; our times together were the best he's had on Mewni. So, why pick that princess?"

Fire slowly bubbled from her pores, taking a deep breath to relax. Focusing on her handy work, she just waited, for a hooded warrior to show up, though some time passed. After forging a few pairs of scissors, Hekapoo heard knocking from her castle gates. Two clones came out from the corner, giving her narrowed eyes. "Just let the dork in." They blinked a few times before rushing away.

Marco slowly entered the castle, entrusting Nachos to the various Hekapoo clones. They gave him various looks as if mirroring conflicting emotions within the  _real_ Hekapoo. Marco felt his confidence and resolve though, pushing open the largest door. Hekapoo was sitting on a couch, having an annoyed look. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, you barge into my dimension after having a good time helping Star. Yeah, you can come in." Marco closed the door gently before sitting across from her. Both looked at one another in silence, though it wasn't tense. Just muddled. Hekapoo spoke up first, leaning forward. "Why are you here? The portal mess got fixed; you were right. Star sorted it out on her own. So, what do you want? More good times?"

"No, that's not why I'm here." Marco folded his hands, giving a deathly serious look to Hekapoo. She recoiled a bit, feeling surprised at this reaction. "I messed up, wronged you. We both know how serious I was about my adventuring times. But… I have responsibilities to Star. However…" Marco sat upright, coughing to get this next part out. "I'm not  _ **just**_  Star's squire; I am Marco Diaz of Earth, my own person. One that can have friendships outside of her."

"But you love Star." Hekapoo comments, causing Marco to look away. "Don't ignore us. We had something Diaz." Marco nods, earning yet another surprised look from Hekapoo. "Then… Why aren't you…"

"Because I can't ignore my feelings. I… I will wait for Star. But that doesn't mean I can't be a good friend to the people I care about." Marco had a bitter expression. "When I was coming to Mewni, I severed a lot of close connections on Earth. My parents, close friends, even my girlfriend at the time." He sighed, leaning back. "I give up everything. I drop whatever I do. To make Star happy." Marco closed his eyes, trying hard not to say this next thought… But he had to let it out. "Do I have a right to be happy? I feel as if I do H-Poo." He gave her a warm smile, noticing her shocked expression. "I hope if you need any help… You let me know."

Hekapoo blinked a few times, processing this information. "Wait, hold up. You just… Gave up your entire life for Star?"

"More or less," Marco answered as if it was nothing. Hekapoo gritted her teeth before taking a breath to calm down. "You… You shouldn't be mad. It's my choice and I'm making sure…"

"She doesn't deserve you." Marco felt his eyes grow wide, hearing Hekapoo nearly hiss that comment. "I remember Song Day's mess. Or how highly Moon spoke of you after I was revived. Marco Diaz… You are a hero of Mewni." She gave her trademark smirk, making Marco's heart flutter. "Don't worry about our 'thing'. I will always be your friend. Just irked me a bit after lying at first." Marco sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness. I didn't want to lose a close friend." Marco looked around, tapping his chin. "So, we are cool now, right?" Hekapoo laughed at the comment, causing Marco to mirror her. "Okay H-Poo, glad to hear that. I got nothing to do, so, want to chat about anything?"

"Come on, afraid of upsetting your princess?" She teased but Marco's serious expression made her sigh. "Okay, yesh. Buzzkill." Marco rolled his eyes and reclined back. "But I do want to vent about that latest mess Star pulled."

"You mean the Monster Bash?" Marco asked. "Well, I can tell you how Mina is quite powerful and for some reason Heinous is connected to Eclipsa…" He tapped his chin, unsure how to continue. "But I'm annoyed the monsters were treated so badly by the Mewni Guards. They did nothing wrong."

"Hey, don't point your manly fingers at me bout that Diaz." Hekapoo refuted. He raised an eyebrow, noticing her comment. "Shut up." Marco just folded his arms, keeping his smug expression. "Ugh… But we studied that machine she brought with her." Marco shivered at the comment, remembering being strapped to the machine. "It can drain magic from a person, but the end result is…" She looked away, having forlorn eyes. Marco walked over to the other couch, patting her shoulder. "Yeah, really messed up."

"So. What's the plan?" Marco seriously askes. Hekapoo blinks in minor surprise. "That could drain magic, just like how Toffee somehow sucked magic from you and other council members. Star and I faced that situation before. If you need  _any_ help dealing with Heinous, let me know." He made a soft chuckle. "She's kinda my 'end game' boss if you catch my drift."

"Ah, so the Princess Marco line is a real thing." Hekapoo teased, hoping to get Marco annoyed. He just smiled, proudly nodding. "You're a dork."

"And you're priceless." Marco teased, earning a dark glare. "Hey, just poking fun." She sighed, starting to walk off. "But… I really am sorry for being a bad friend. I won't ever hurt you again." He kneeled, holding his scissors like a knight holds a sword. Hekapoo smiled at the gesture, smacking Marco's head. "Ow… Great  _another_ bald spot…"

She walked away, madly laughing. "Got the mark of H-Poo son. Again! See you around, dork." Hekapoo ran off, feeling her face grow a warm smile. Far away from Marco, she let joy come over her, walking to toward another part of the castle. Some of the clones were going to tease her but one annoyed glare silenced them. Well, most of them.

Marco stood up and made a rift in space back to Mewni. "Well… I made my peace here. Hopefully, I can do this with Jackie at some point." He tightly clenched the blades, feeling a thin smile form on his face. "I won't ruin any friendships over my feelings. I promise." Marco jumped into the rift.

* * *

After enjoying a nice meal together, Tom took Star on a quiet stroll through a Mewni Park. Other couples were gathering around, watching one of the many Mewni moons rise up into the sky. Star sighed longingly, always enjoying watching them with Tom. "This was a nice date."

"You said it Starship." Tom joyfully responded, eyes never leaving Star's smiling face. "Anything you would like to do? The night's still young." Star playfully elbowed Tom, shooting a sly grin. "It's only like… 7 PM or something."

"I know silly." She leaned on his shoulder, letting some of her worries come out. "Just… I'm sorry if I haven't been a good girlfriend to you." Tom was gently pushed Star back, having all of his three eyes wide like dinner plates. "I'm serious. I've been spending so much time trying to be 'the best princess' I could be… I'm letting my…"

"Starship, look at me." Tom placed both his hands on her shoulders. "You are the most amazing person I've ever met. Always letting people into your heart, trying to make everyone happy and always having that amazing smile." He poked her nose, causing Star to giggle. "Be your real self again, so you can be fully happy."

Star just was surprised at the comment, trying to process it. "My… My real self? I AM myself, Tom." She folded her arms, looking away. "Just… I really need to grow up if I'm going to rule Mewni. We both know this… You ruling over a literal kingdom of demons, no offense, they are cool." Tom snickered, throwing his arm over Star's shoulder. "I'm afraid that if I… Fully opening myself up again. I will…"

"Get hurt like how Marco did to you by accident." Star's jaw dropped, feeling her blue eyes grow wide in surprise. "Rejection hurts. It hurts  _a lot_. But we sometimes don't mean to hurt the people we deeply love. When we first broke up years ago, I held no hard feelings…" Tom took a deep breath, feeling some worry at his next comment. "But… You need to be with the person that complements you the most."

"Uh, I am. You dummy." Star said brightly, though Tom just had a blank expression.  _'What… No. NoNoNo… Not this again!'_ Her face morphed into something darker, her marks glowing a sickly red. "If you are going to say what I  _think_ you're going too… Just don't."

"I kinda have to when you still love Diaz," Tom said bluntly, folding his arms and looking up at the sky. "What do you see right now. Better yet, what color is the moon tonight?"

Star looked up and just snickered. "It's red Tom. Isn't it…" Her eyes snapped back at the moon, feeling its red glows. "But… I haven't seen that in ages." Tom sighed and put on a weak smile. "That means I…"

"It means, you love Marco still." Tom gently patted Star's back, trying to ease her nerves. "It's fine, I get it. But we can't be together if you love another guy, Star." She started crying, letting tears fall. "Oh no, don't pull that. You  _know_ how I get when you're sad like that."

"But… I do love…" Tom just sprung out of his chair, letting some fire coat his body. "Tom…"

"I'm not your plaything Star. Nor am I your rebound. I'm your  _friend_. Someone that really does love you." He let his anger take over but still had his calm voice. "I want  _you_ to be happy. Not continue to force yourself into something." Star stopped crying, huddling up into a ball.

"…I'm afraid. I opened myself up before, only to get hurt." She looked at Tom, nearly pleading for an answer. "What if I just… Get hurt again?"

"That's life," Tom answered bluntly, sitting down and letting reality set in. "When you broke up with me, it hurt a lot. But, I had to get over it. Though…" He laughed, earning a raised eyebrow from Star. "I kinda did blow up a few times and my plots weren't very successful." Star folded her arms, having a more annoyed expression. "Okay, point is, I didn't take it well!"

"You changed though." Star refuted as Tom turned away. "You are really trying to get better. But… You're right." Star sighed, laughing to herself. "I've been trying so hard to be the 'best princess' that I wound up being a jerk to both you AND Marco."

"I wouldn't say that…" Tom said quietly, which went noticed by Star. "What? I really did enjoy us dating. But you really haven't been fair to Marco. The kid's trying so hard to make you happy, yet the second he lands back into your life… You kick him away." Star raised her finger, ready to argue back. "Doesn't matter now, the kid's head over heels for you. Question is, what your plan is now."

"I… I don't know," Star answered, feeling unsure of herself. "I mean… If you are right and Marco does like me back… Shouldn't this be easy?"

"Love is never easy, we both know this," Tom said bluntly, earning a pout from Star. "But I have an idea. As of tonight, we aren't a couple anymore. Just close friends." He holds out his hand, which Star shakes while having an annoyed expression. "Secondly, Marco doesn't know about our break up until…"

"What? How will he say anything then?" Tom folded his arms, having a smug expression. Star just leaned back, wondering what Tom would say next.

"Remember how you confessed and was honest… Twice, while Marco dated Jackie?" She nodded, feeling the pain slowly come back. "Let him try risking it all." Star bit her lip, feeling part of her agree with him. "If he's really willing to confess knowing we are together then I  _know_ he really does love you."

"Okay, I guess…" Star looked up at the sky, still seeing the blood moon. "We are still friends? I know you just said but… I really am happy we were together for a while and reconnected."

"Me to Starship." They shared a hug, one charged with new emotions and signifying a new shift in their bond.

* * *

Marco jumped back out of the portal, landing in his room. To his surprise, he saw Janna alongside the puppies & Glossaryck huddled around his laptop. "What are you doing here?!" Janna spun around, holding a blank DVD. "...Blackmail?"

"Blackmail. Star wouldn't want to know about your little… Adventure today, now would she?" Marco sighed, throwing himself on the bed. "What? Not in the mood for teasing or something?"

"No, just that it won't work. Telling Star about Hekapoo when she returns." He got up, rubbing his neck. "I can't keep throwing people away to make her happy." Janna spun around, narrowing her eyes. "Come on, you know about my tunnel vision."

"You finally discovered your biggest issue." Janna made a mock clap, earning groaning from Marco. "Congrats. Now what?" Marco relaxed on his bed, head gently resting on the pillow.

"I try to talk to Jackie and say sorry for being a crappy boyfriend. Hopefully like H-Poo, Jackie and I can be friends." He turned over, giving a guilty frown. "If I ever did anything to you, I'm sorry, okay?"

Janna just laughed, rolling back under the bed. "It's cool. I love teasing the crud out of you anyway. Keep being easy pickings, and we are good." Marco sighed, feeling Glossaryck hop on his belly.

"Globgor?" Marco snickered, petting Glossaryck's ruby head. It made a faint glow as he huddled into a small ball. "Globgoor…" Janna slowly slid out, eyes going wide.

"Dude, your cheeks are glowing again." Marco held out his hand, noticing the glow emitting from his face. "Can you like, shoot fire or something?" He shrugged his shoulders, resuming petting Glossyark. "Oh, only can put him to sleep. No fun."

"I just found out about magic Janna. Cut me some slack here." He rubbed his chin in thought. "Think Star could teach me?" Before she could answer both heard knocking on Marco's door. Janna and Marco exchanged a look before walking toward the door.

* * *

Star opened it, waving hello. "Hey, Marco! I was hoping you would want to watch a movie or somthin." She held out a bowl of popcorn and two DVDs. Marco felt his heart race, ignoring the burning smirk coming from Janna. Star noticed that, groaning loudly. "Hey! It's our friendship day girl. Nothing… Odd or anything."

"Sure, come back home from a date with Hellboy and act all flirty with lovebird here." Marco turned around, sending an annoyed signal to Janna. She just smirked even harder, making Marco groan audibly.

"Can't you bug someone else?" Marco shouted, with Janna only laughing in response. "Yeah, sounds nice Star. But… How was your time with Tom?"

Star blinked a few times before a smile graced her face. "It was a really nice time. Thanks for asking, Marco." He sighed in relief, taking the popcorn bowl from Star. "We are watching it here?"

"Well… I spent a while setting the TV up. Magic is really strange…" He hooked up the DVD player, getting into his own world. Star was going to talk some more but noticed Janna's sly grin.

"I know dat face. What are you thinking?" Star hopped on Marco's bed, playfully looking at Janna. She folded her arms, looking at Marco for a moment. "What? He's just setting something up."

"Seems Hellboy knows something about Diaz and 'cut the knot' as it were. Hmm?" Star's face froze, unsure how to even react. "I will keep quiet. He won't take long." Star nodded, joining Janna as they watched Marco try to hook up the DVD player. Some small fire came out of a box though, causing the girls to laugh. Marco just kept a smile on his face, feeling his cheeks get warmth as they emitted faintly glows.


	3. With Me

Marco walked down the halls of Mewni Castle, stretching his back after a long nights sleep. He kept yawning, feeling drained after having some strange dream. Still a floor or so away from Star's room, he just pondered something on his mind.

' _The other day was really nice, patching things up with H-Poo and having a real hang out with Star… Been a while since we had one of those. It was like our times on Earth. Haven't heard her laugh like that in ages!'_ Marco smirked at the memory, feeling his face get warm.  _'Surprised she didn't mention Tom not once though. She always talks about their dates or him 'accidentally' setting fire to something… Hope nothing happened between them during their date.'_ He stopped, shaking his head in utter bafflement.  _'I should be happy if they aren't working out! But, sigh… I would be a horrible friend if I thought that though. Stupid emotions making me a jerk…'_ Groaning at himself, he made more tired footsteps.

Each light stomp echoed across the halls, giving the castle this eerie vibe. Just as he was going to turn a corner, he heard loud screaming. "COME BACK HERE!" He turned toward the source, seeing Star in her nightgown chasing Glossaryck. "MARCO! GET HIM!" Rushing toward the blue man, he tackled into Glossaryck and gently patted his head. He noticed him tightly bitting Star's wand, taking it out of his mouth.

"Sush… Easy there boy." Glossaryck started purring like a cat, letting go of the wand. "Here you go Star." She just looked at Marco in shock, eyes growing wide. "What? I just calmed him down. Don't tell me Eclipsa didn't teach you that?"

"You… Your cheeks are glowing." Marco stood up, cradling Glossaryck like a baby. Star gently caressed Marco's cheeks, the glow emitting from his crescent marks getting brighter. "Ho…You can use magic?" Her voice was awestruck, as was Marco himself having Star literally inches away from him. Nervously laughing, he backed away and fixed his hold on Glossaryck.

"Y-Yeah, I can use magic. Don't you remember how I got you out of that odd magic place with all the horses?" Marco rubbed his cheeks, still feeling the magic flowing through him. "I don't know what happened, but I can calm the little guy down. Know little else though…"

"You. Me. Learning magic. Today." Marco held up his finger, but Star's fierce blue eyes glittered with raw excitement. "No butts. I'm teaching you magic and that's final." He slowly nodded, walking next to Star. They started heading back to Star's room, the quiet halls making them hear one another's calming heartbeat.

* * *

"I know today is going to be quite busy for you, so got it all mapped out." Marco spun around his phone, causing Star to smile. "But you ready to show Moon that letter? I mean… I know we worked on it for a while. But she isn't too keen on monsters."

Star sighed as she opened her door. "I know but… I need to do  _something_. You saw what happened to those poor monsters after the party! The guards continued bothering and pushing them away." She narrowed her eyes, lightly poking Marco's chest. "You leaving early didn't help much buster."

Marco frowned, looking away in shame. "Sorry… I… I had a lot on my mind. I wouldn't have been much help anyway." Marco and Star stood at the doorway, unable to look at each other in the eye. "That won't happen again."

Star recalled that night, remembering talking to Tom about the situation.  _'Stupid… Of course, he wouldn't be able to help, Marco saw you chatting away with Tom. Likely didn't want to cause something.'_ She smiled, giving a light punch to Marco's arm. "It's fine. Now… Wait outside while I get changed." Marco nodded, putting Glossaryck in his lap and petting his head.

Star sat at her desk, using magic to zap on her blue narwhal dress. Looking over some papers on her desk, she noticed they were organized in different piles. "Wha…" She looked through each pile, having labels like 'Monster Rights', 'Mewman Laws', and 'Star's Junk'. Near it, was a small note.

_Uh… I had to fix this. I get you have 'your messes' but this was just silly. Hope you don't mind I fixed things up._

_\- MD_

Star smirked, shaking her head. "You try waaaay too hard Marco." She took some of the papers and stored them in her star-purse. Looking in her mirror, Star started to brush long blond hair. "Hopefully today goes well. The first time I'm showing off my monster rights letter… Speech thing. I'm so  _annoyed_ Mom did nothing during the raid." She put her brush down, letting out a tired sigh. "I just want… Things to be okay." Star looked toward the door, imaging Marco petting Glossaryck and talking about something.

"The boy is something else, mmm?" Star heard a voice in her room. She turned around, seeing Eclipsa come out of the sailor man painting. "The guards are really slacking off today. So what's this about monster rights?"

"Oh! Hey Eclipsa. Um, Marco and I have been working on something." She shows her the letter, Eclipsa intently studying it. "I know you were married to a cool monster dude, so anything missing here? Spent a long time writing this." Star laughed softly, earning a raised eyebrow from Eclipsa. "Marco took it really seriously too."

"Well, the lad cares about you a lot dear." She passed the letter back, folding her arms amused. "Tell me, haven't heard about this Timmy character in a while. How are you two doing?" Eclipsa teased. Star blinked a few times before making an audible 'oh' sound.

"Tom and I are doing fine. Where did you get the name Timmy from…" Star hopped on her bed, continuing to fix her hair. "We are just… Taking a break for a bit." Eclipsa raised an eyebrow, making Star sigh. "Fine, we broke up. Don't tell anyone."

"Why wouldn't you want Marco to know?" Eclipsa asked genuinely. Star rubbed her arm before forming a weak smile. "Oh, waiting for him too…" Star nodded, unable to meet Eclipsa's eyes. "Well, that was nice of you."

"Huh? How was it nice? I lost a really good thing with Tom. At least we are friends still." Star felt the hurt inside her but held no ill will toward either Tom or Marco about this situation. Eclipsa just patted Star's back, getting toward the painting.

"Well, love is a tricky mistress. The heart knows what it wants, as the saying goes. Oh, and love that letter by the way. Give it another look for a  _key_ detail I added in." Before Star could ask, the painting closed, concealing the hidden passageway.

"...She's cool but odd sometimes." Star said aloud, hopping out of her bed. Rushing out the door with papers in hand, she nearly startled Marco. "I'm ready for some grub buddy!"

"GLOBGOR!" Glossaryck hollered, rushing back into Star's room in a fit of panic. Star and Marco exchanged blank expressions, deciding not to question things further.

"He's dun stupid." Both said unison, walking off toward the royal dining room.

* * *

The duo walked past long halls, featuring towering pictures and portraits of the Butterfly family tree. Marco just smiled as he watched all of them, feeling a sense of pride wash down upon him. Star looked at Marco, feeling a smile creep on her face. "You know, all of these guys come from Dad's side of the family." She pointed toward another hallway. "Mom's family has an entire hallway to itself."

"Huh… Makes sense. Remember reading a week or so ago a lot of books about Mewni history." Star stopped in place, making Marco raise an eyebrow. "Star, I kinda was alone about a lot when I got here. So I dug around and found out things. The Johansson's stem from a warrior clan across various…"

"I know that! But why didn't you ask me anything?" Star asked, folding her arms in slight annoyance. Marco just bit his lip, trying to conceal inner annoyance himself.

"You were… Busy, with a lot of things. I didn't want to bother you much." Marco admitting, hiding his hands within a red hoodie. "I  _did_ crash into your life again, so trying to be my, um… Own person as it were. And you know how much I like reading."

Star nodded, remembering Marco's oddly large collection of books. "I'm your best friend though. Can ask me anything." She placed a hand on Marco's shoulder, making him look into her blue eyes. "I know… Things haven't been the best between us. But please, ask me anything. Okay?"

"Thanks." Marco gave a beaming smile, warming both their hearts. "Though I get how busy you are. No wonder you wanted to stay on Earth." Star busted into a laughing fit, causing Marco to roll his eyes. "Seriously though. Meetings every other day, trying to get support for Monster Rights, magic training with your mom. I'm surprised you made time out for helping me with that Princess Marco thing."

"I had to come to  _that_. You look cute in a dress." Star snickered but Marco's eyes grew wide. She covered her mouth and nervously laughed. "Uh… I  _meant_ to say… Pink looks good on you."

Marco felt his body freeze for a moment.  _'Star called me… Cute? Something isn't right, she's with TOM!? No… Star is just odd. She always calls things cute. Come on Diaz, reboot yourself and calm down.'_ He blinked and felt the gears turning again. "Oh, um… Thanks, I guess." Marco thought of a joke and laughed a bit. "Though Pony Head really loves her make up."

Star sighed in relief, rubbing her arm to ease the nerves. "I got her that make up kit last year. Surprised she never ran out of it." Marco raised a finger. "No, I didn't 'magic-it' up. I actually buy things you know."

"What about that Banana Magic Wand thing?" Marco joked, earning a death glare from Star. "Never knew what that tasted like…"

"Well, you are a picky shopper too. Nearly killing us to get a wallet." Marco folded his arms, groaning at the comment. "Oh come on, having issues picking out a color?"

"Yes? When you have to think about things, it's really hard to make a choice sometimes." Marco rubbed his neck, moving a bit faster. "Though I love the wallet though… Even though Janna…" He looked in his pockets, groaning audibly. "She took it again…"

"Hehe…" Star giggled, skipping ahead. "Need to keep your eyes on the prize." Marco rolled his eyes as he shot a playful smile toward Star. Both felt a sense of warmth between them, something that felt  _missing_ for a long time. Before they could question where this came from, Star and Marco finally found the Royal Dining Room.

As they were passing two tall guards, they let Star through but held out their spares toward Marco. Star blinked in confusion but Marco's annoyed expression said it all. "Only the princess can pass through peasant."

"I'm her Squire. I  _have_ to follow Star around. Can I please get through?" Marco's voice was thick with utter contempt, shocking Star. The guard glared at Marco, not dropping his weapon once. "Guess you forgot who helped the king fended off Ludo's army while you ran away like a headless chicken." Marco clenched his fists, teeth gritting together. The guard pointed his weapon at Marco but stopped the moment Star shot a bitter frown.

"So, you aren't respecting my squire? The princesses' most trusted confidant? May I remind you, that he's been watching over me for a long time now, good sir?" Star's voice was controlled but Marco could feel the frustration hidden within it. "Please, let my squire pass and we will be on our way. Good work Jeffery on protecting us all today."

"O-Of course Princess!" He dropped his weapon, making a mock bow to Marco. "Come on through, squire." Marco's face had a more confused look than anything, just walking past the guard. Star walked even-paced until out of the guard's eyesight. Both sitting down at the table, she pounded it in pure annoyance.

"Don't tell me, that happened to you before," Star ordered Marco to answer. He bit his lip, looking away. "How long?"

"Since I got here," Marco answered quickly, looking at the empty plate before him. "It's not a big deal. Normally, I use my scissors to visit Earth to get food. Never really eat on Mewni unless I'm with you and your parents." Star's jaw nearly dropped but soon picked it up. "Star, you don't get it. I'm not a royal or anything. Just… Some low-life, in the eyes of many here. Being your squire is like getting a 'favor' or something to the guards and other royals." Marco slouched forward, rubbing his temples. "I got used to things after the first day or so. Not a huge…"

"That won't happen again," Star said darkly, having a guilty expression. "You… You really need to talk with me about things. I mean… I'm the  _princess_ of Mewni. If people are mistreating my best friend, that did a lot for me, I can put my foot down and stop it." Marco blinked, trying to make sure he heard this right.

"O-Okay," Marco answered back, sending a thankful smile. Star nodded, looking near sounds of footsteps. Moon and River Butterfly came out from the corner, sitting in their respective seats. Marco made a faint wave hello before looking back at his dish, something Star noticed.

"Morning mom! Dad!" Star said in a chipper tone. "You guys got your sleepy sleeps?" River laughed heartedly while Moon simply sighed.

"Yes dear, though getting ready for Eclipsa's trial  _and_ cleaning up that Monster Temple mess has been exhausting." Moon rubbed her eyes, looking at Star with a smile. "Ready for your magic training today?"

"Yep!" Star shouted joyfully, noticing Mewni Eggs coming on her table. Marco got his plate, having one egg half-eaten. Looking at the chief, he huffed and walked off. Before Star could notice something off, Marco scoffed it down. "Also got something to show you guys." Star dug through her star-purse, taking out a few sheets of paper. River took them, giving a thin smile.

"Monster Rights, huh? Moonpie, this is your thing to look at." He passes the papers to Moon, who it looked over with a critical eye. Rubbing her chin deep in thought, she let out a tired sigh.

"Sweetie… We can't do anything with this right now." She gently passed the papers to Star, who had a disappointed expression. "I am proud of you for working on this, but Monsters treatment on Mewni can't be changed overnight." Marco stood up, getting surprised looks from everyone but Star. "Marco?"

"Star has spent five sleepless nights researching into this. This is in addition to the ten royal magic lessons you've been teaching her, various meetings with other nobles and her watching Glossaryck whenever she's not busy." He folded his arms, narrowing his eyes. "You weren't there when the guards raided the temple. Monsters couldn't even  _say_ anything; just taken away and if it wasn't for Star, they would have been in the dungeon right now. Not my place or anything, clearly, but Star's trying  _hard_ about this. At least humor her and read the dang letter." Marco sat down, looking at his plate with a blank expression.

Star's expression was one of surprise, but hers mirrored the other guards and even Moon. "Well, Marco… You are right, this isn't your place to discuss." He bit his lip, throwing up his hood. Star tightly clenched her fork and got up. "Star? Get back here. Your food will get cold."

"I'm not hungry anymore. I will see you for the magic lesson. Come on Marco." Marco just walked off, giving a thankful bow before following Star. Moon and River looked at one another, each having worried expressions.

* * *

Star sighed, leaning on a pillar and looking toward the dining room. "Can't believe her…" Marco put a warm hand on Star's shoulder, giving a weak smile. "She wouldn't even listen to you about anything."

"What? I thought you were upset about her not caring about monster rights?" Marco asked. Star turned around, having an annoyed expression.

"Why is everyone being a jerk toward you, Marco? You did…" She shook her head, putting the thought away. "Anyway, I am annoyed about that too, Mom not even reading the full thing. We spent so long working on the letter…"

"Well, after the magic lesson coming up..." Marco flipped through his phone, landing on an icon. "You have a meeting with various royals. Memorized the speech?" Star grinned, playfully folding her arms. "So, just say it to everyone then. A lot of the Mewni higher-ups are normally present at those things."

"Good points, my trusty squire." Star poked Marco's cheek, making him form a semi-stupid smile. "Glad I have you around."

"You would blow up the kingdom without me." Star raised an eyebrow, having a mock look of anger. "Well, okay not any _more_ per say… You get the point."

"Yeah, yeah…" Star handwaved. "Speaking of magic though, about time you learned some spells!" Marco felt Star drag him across various halls and doorways, ignoring the confused expression fro royal guards. They eventually found themselves in a training field, walls coated with anti-magic barriers. A rack weapons and shields were neatly organized, ready for combat usage. Star tossed Marco her wand, him nearly dropping it.

"Hey! You can't give me…" Before his very eyes, the wand started transforming, turning into a green-ish object with a dagger top and dragon wings sticking out. Star smirked, looking at the wand with intense thought. Marco looked at the want itself, taking in its appearance.  _'It really looks like some kind of trippy dagger though. Like a weapon, I would find across the trials.'_ Marco rubbed his chin before looking up at Star. "You… Okay with me holding your wand?"

"Duh, how can you cast magic without one silly?" Star jumped back, focusing on her inner magic. She turned pure golden, her yellow butterfly form on full display now. Marco sighed longingly, feeling his face heat up at the sight. Star raised her eyebrow, noticing Marco's nearly love-struck expression.  _'Hehe… Thinks I'm cute like this.'_ She coughed, snapping Marco out of his thoughts. "So, going to keep staring, or are we going to duke it out?"

"I-I wasn't staring!" Marco answered defensively, holding out the wand like a sword. "But, you going to be okay? I… I only used the All-Seeing-Eye Spell with this." Star waved one of her many hands, flying around Marco in orbit.

"Oh don't worry about it. This place is covered with anti-magic barriers. To prevent 'another fire' from the wand breaking out." Star rolled her eyes at the comment. "Set the kingdom on fire one time…"

"Uh… Fires aren't good though." Star folded her arms, narrowing her eyes. "Fine, fine… So… Any spell you recommend I start with?" She just shrugged her shoulders, entering combative stance. "You… Didn't answer my question."

"Just have fun with it, Marco! Think about anything you want and let it out." Marco tapped his chin, before nodding. He held out the wand and thought of a flaming fist. His cheeks slowly glowed into Crescent Moon's, mirroring the glow emitting from the wand itself.

"Flaming Fire Punch!" Marco shouts, summoning a deadly fireball shamed as a fist. Star quickly shifted to the right, nearly avoiding the blast. "Sorry! I didn't mean…"

"No, try it again." She said calmly. Marco regained his footing, casting the spell once more. Star saw the incoming fire blast and dodged it more carefully, Marco sighing in relief. "Good! Next up on 'Star teaches magic', we are going to learn the Narwhal Blast!"

"…Star, this isn't a TV show or anything." Marco comments deadpanned as Star walked toward him. "But should you hold the wand, you know, so I can see how that works?" Star waved her hand and picked up a small stick.

"You just stand in place, spin around a bit and think of something bright. The Narwhal is a creature I uh, always link to positive thoughts." Star tapped her chin before she nods at something. "Yeah, always positive thoughts. It's one of ma favorites for a reason. Now…" Star touched Marco's hand, giving it a firm squeeze. "You think of some positive thoughts, relax and don't over think anything." Marco was going to open his mouth but Star playfully wagged her finger. "Magic isn't something to worry so much over. It's fun! Just relax."

"If you say so…" Marco moved back and let positive thoughts cloud his mind. Memories of him and Star going on adventures, the close calls and even more embarrassing moments played on a loop. Marco's eyes were closed, but a wide smile and joyful tears came down his face.

"M-Marco? You… You are crying. Is something…" She backed away, seeing Marco's cheeks glowing a radiant white and the wand's center glowing like a vivid sun. Star saw a storm of black and white Narwhals escape the wand's center, crashing into a dummy she left lying around. She touched her cheek, noticing her own marks were faintly glowing.

Marco opened his eyes, giving Star worried look. "Did I do it?" Star's shocked face slowly nodded, pointing toward the pile of Narwhals laying on the ground. "Uh... Is that normal? You usually get one Narwhal out of the wand at a time."

"N-No…" She patted her cheeks to ward off the shock. "But what  _did_ you think about?" Marco bit his lip, looking away. "That was crazy magic! When I think about happy things, I can do a lot of sick spells. But you made a storm of Narwhals! I never did that."

"Uh… A sun?" Marco answered sheepishly, earning a confused expression from Star. "I mean, whenever I think of h… IT! Whenever I think of  _it_ , I feel such a rush of focus and strength. So, yeah. That sun sure is something." He laughed, unable to avoid the fierce blue from Star's eyes. "You… You mad? Did I do the spell wrong?"

' _He thought of me…'_ Star pondered, feeling a large grin grow on her face.  _'Huh… It's like when I dip down.'_ She put a warm hand on Marco's shoulder, giving a proud smile. "Nah, you nailed it. Just wanted an answer to somethin' is all. One final spell before we do something cool."

"Shoot." Marco nodded, standing like a trained soldier. Star took out the spellbook she made after the whole Bon-Bon situation. Flipping through a few pages, she landed on one featuring a rainbow trail. "Uh… Rainbow Whip Lash?"

"Yep! This one is super useful. It helps you grab things from far away and reach those annoying places when cleaning." She groaned, slouching forward. " _Very_ useful when dealing with a dun-stupid Gloss." Marco laughed as he went into battle position. "Now, this is a simple spell. Just focus on trails of light and again, think of happy thoughts. When you have a target you want to hit or touch, focusing on them  _while_ casting the spell makes it more effective."

"Got it." Marco locked his vision on a battle dummy, feeling an intense focus on it. Flicking the wand in its direction, Marco felt a storm of light escape the wand. A bright red string, mixed with blues, blacks and whites struck the dummy. Grinning stupidly, Marco pulled the wand, ripping the dummy out of the ground. Making some battle grunts, he slammed it back into its spot, feeling great pride. Star made mock clapping, earning a raised eyebrow from Marco.

"Now, the  _fun_ part." She used her inner magic to make the wand return to her, summoning various small orbs. Tossing it back to Marco, it morphed back into his own design. One orb flew right into Marco but he blocked it with his hands. "Don't block them! Toss the orbs away with your spell." He nodded, jumping back. Using the whip spell, he grabbed one of the incoming orbs. Flicking it away, it hit the others like a pinball, making them poof out of existence.

"Wow… That was something." Marco wiped some sweat from his face, but the cocky smile from Star made him gulp. "Another lesson left?" She nodded, folding her arms.

"The wand can turn into various objects, you know that," Marco recalled some of the forms Star's wand too, smirking at the more humorous ones. "Now it's your turn to make it into a cool thingy."

"Morph? I know it turned into things before but it's already transformed once I held it." Marco refuted, but Star snickered. "Okay… Let's give this a shot." Marco thought about a great sword, one he used many times in Hekapoo's dimension.

The wand's dagger tip slowly expanded, its metal blade growing into the length of a normal sword. The handle of the wand grew larger, so to hands could wield it at once. The coloring of the steel was pure red, making Star's eyes grow wide. "Sweet! You gots a sword! Now…" She flew over toward battle dummies, dropping a few around Marco. "Use it."

Marco felt a rush of memories, times in Hekapoo's domain, flow through his nerves. Making skillful slashes left and right, each dummy Star put before him were nothing but nearly chopped blocks. Looking over his handy work and the past few minutes of training, Marco couldn't help but smile with pride. "I… I did it. I can use magic… I can use magic!" One more thought danced inside Marco's mind, looking right at Star.  _'I can be useful still…'_

Star just watched Marco jump around, like an excited kid getting a new video game.  _'He looks so… Happy. I think Marco needed this…'_ She flew down, turning back into her normal Mewman form. She took back the wand and tightly hugged Marco. "I knew ma bestie can be a magic pro. Though you need some more work."

"I got a wonderful teacher though." Marco refuted, earning a stupid grin from Star. "Thanks for this…" Star just patted his shoulder but noticed his cheek marks faintly visible on Marco's face. "Is something…"

The marks vanished completely, making Star sigh in relief. "Oh, nothing. Just thought I saw something." Marco shrugged his shoulders, looking toward a doorway. "We should meet up with my parents. Mom likely is wondering where I am."

"Sounds good." Marco stretched his back, thinking about all the exciting spells he could pull off.  _'It's like I unlocked combo-menu in a fighting game or something!'_ Star just snickered at the utter joy emitting off of Marco, seeing her best friend back in lighter spirits.

* * *

Star and Marco made their way through the royal meeting room, stopping right before the center-doorway. "Hold on." Marco raised an eyebrow, with Star blasting the two of them with a ray of light. He blinked a few times, noticing his hoodie looking more proper. Star was now in her Mewni Princess attire, fixing her hair quickly, giving a confused look at Marco herself. "Uh… We need to look professional for this."

"I know but…" He tugged his royal hoodie. "I'm just your squire. Not some… Royal dude or anything. I never had too…" Star placed a hand on his shoulder, giving a dark glare.

"I had enough of how things are going for you." She let go, retaining her steeled look. "You aren't going to be treated like trash on Mewni any longer. Star Butterflies squire  **deserves** respect." She walked ahead, pushing the door open. Before Star were Mewni's King and Queen, various representatives of other kingdoms and even some royal knights. Marco slowly walked behind Star, having a careful eye. Touching Star's seat, he gently pulled it out, earning a small smile from Star. "Thank you, Marco." He nodded, standing on her side. She pulled out the chair next to her, earning a confused expression. "You can sit right next to me." He looked around the room, noticing the baffled expressions from the other squires and knights. Marco sat down, letting his nerves take over.

"Star, you know…" Moon was going to comment but one dark glare silenced the thought. "Anyway, today we are going to discuss future problems. Manfred?" The royal helper appeared seemingly out of nowhere, holding out a scroll.

"Yes milady. Topics for discussion include Monster Rights and the hunt for Miss Heinous." He rolled them up the scroll, walking away after a thankful nod from Moon. One demon-like figure folded his hands together, having a blank expression.

"I'm not comfortable with your actions toward the monsters." His deep voice emitted. "As a speaker for the Lucitor kingdom, we have faced much ridicule over the years, despite our healthy relationship to you, Queen."

Moon nodded, letting out a small cough. "I assure you, our actions toward monsters will not affect your kingdom. The treaty still is in effect yes?" The demon nodded, but his expression was not pleased. "Say what's on your mind. We are all friends here."

"Very well. Prince Lucitor has been doing studies on monster rights himself." He passed a scroll to Moon, but Star caught it. "Oh, the royal princess. I am impressed by your efforts. Please, give this a read. I am sure he shared this with you, no?"

Star read through the scroll, seeing various laws and acts given the Lucitor signature.  _'I knew he cared. Just… Likely didn't want to talk about it before.'_ She rolled up the scroll, passing it back. "Yes, I am aware. We both discussed it at length." Marco looked at Star, hiding his inner bafflement. He put on a thin smile, just looking at the Lucitor advisor with interest.

"Very well. So what do you propose?" The Pony Head, Pigeon Kingdom, and Dolphin Kingdom speakers all looked at Star intently, ready for her speech. Moon stood up, letting out a nervous laugh.

"Now, my daughter made enough trouble with that Monster Bash, did she not?" Moon looked at Star, in a way that said 'Do not speak about this'. Star was about to get up but to everyone's surprise, Marco stood up tall. He coughed getting everyone's attention.

"My word means nothing, as I'm just a lowly squire and have no royal standing in any of Mewni's kingdoms." The other squires, one being Higgs, nodded in agreement. "But I have been by Star's side for a very long time. I have seen the good monsters have done. So please, when Star speaks of her future actions and ideas for monster kind, listen knowing this. Star has spent a lot of time, heart and effort getting things planned out. The monster bash we worked on together sadly had complications but that will not happen again." He sat down, letting out some held-in breath. "Go ahead, Star."

Star had a beaming smile, standing up tall. "Thank you, Marco. Now, let me share my speech." She closed her eyes, remembering words she mastered by heart. "All races on Mewni are important to how everything functions across the many dimensions. We each offer something that helps one another. As a result, there is a deep-rooted bond that is very difficult to shatter. However, a powerful strike towards this bond is the term 'monster'. If you sit down and think about it, the term means nothing. All of us have monster-like qualities. For example, I am a butterfly but can turn into  _a literal_  butterfly, flying around with concealed wings. Some have more monster-like qualities than others but the end point is this; all of us are monsters on some level." Everyone at the table nodded in agreement, shocking Moon and River.

"I am in full agreement." Richard, Prince of the Pigeon Kingdom, stated. "So what do you recommend, Princess Star?"

"Thank you for asking," Star answered brightly. "I propose that we establish more rights that break down what we define as 'monster'. For example, many of the seclusion laws we have passed are quite outdated. So I would advise we work together on brainstorming laws that would work best for everyone." Star took out a few papers, placing them in the table's center. "Here are some laws Marco and I worked together on."

"Wait…" The Lucitor advisor spoke, getting Star's attention. "Your  _squire_ helped you plan all this?" Star nodded proudly, pulling Marco up. "Huh… Interesting." He looked at the other squires, gesturing them to walk forward. "Any of you want to share thoughts on this matter?"

They were all silent but Higgs, who coughed and stood tall. "I-I feel that monsters are dangerous, but Princess Star is correct. More laws to ensure equal rights can help everyone." She gave a soft look at Marco, making him gulp in minor fear. "If one squire can share their thoughts like this, then I should do so proudly as well. Thank you for calling me to speak." She bowed to the Lucitor speaker, standing next to her knight.

"Very well," Moon spoke, getting center attention. "But this is a royal manor for the kingdoms. Only the rulers and future rulers should have a word." Marco sat back down, letting out a tired sigh. Star just looked at Moon as if she had three heads. "What sweetie? You know that…"

"Rules can change, mom. I am going to be the best princess I can be. But that also means I don't have to be a horrible person." She looked around the table, giving a serious expression. "Everyone should be equally kind toward one another, never throwing away something that helped them get so far in life. I know, personally, I will  _never_ do that again." She clapped her hands together, having a sly smile. "Now, let's discuss more rights. Marco?"

He blinked, feeling everything going too fast. He organized the papers and started passing them around toward the other royals. A long time passed, with lengthy discussion taking place. Moon looked at how Star and Marco conversed with the Royals, feeling such pride toward them. River bit his lip, never able to look into Marco's face.

* * *

Some time passed and everyone was leaving the meeting. Marco collected the various signed papers and rejected proposals, passing them to Star. "Wow… Can't believe how well that went. You… Even was able to let me voice things."

"Duh, you  _helped_ get it all started." Star put the papers in her star-purse, giving a wide smile. "If it wasn't for your thoughts during Mewdependence Day, I likely would have hated Monsters still."

Marco couldn't help but snicker at that day. "Yeah… It was fun seeing Ferg try to dress like Buff Frog." They shared a laugh but were approached by Moon and River. "Uh, I know. Will give you space too…"

"No, Marco." Moon interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder. "My husband and I want to apologize for our treatment toward you." He blinked, unsure what he was hearing. "When you returned to Mewni, we failed to consider the impact you had. Helping our daughter through so much and your actions during the bout against Toffee was important."

River coughed, getting Marco's attention. "My boy, I was wrong giving you that cape." He passed Marco a box. "This is something you should have gotten instead." Marco opened it, his eyes growing wide. It was a custom-hoodie, bright red with golden lining all over. The back of the hoodie had a blue butterfly.

"Wow… T-Thank you." Marco felt his heart swell with the gift. "Do… Do I deserve this though? I am only…" Star just hugged Marco, patting his back.

"Yes, you do. Now shut up and accept it." Star ordered playfully, earning a wide smile from Marco. He rushed off, nearly tripping over his own feet out the door. Moon gave Star a sly smile. "Mom, don't give me that look. I… I still like him."

"Mmm… So you and the Lucitor boy?" Star nodded, folding her arms. "Interesting." River laughed hearted, folding his thick arms together.

"Marco... Hasn't been treated, right guys. And I'm not okay with that. I wasn't very nice to him but you both weren't either." Star took a deep breath and looked directly into River's face. "I mean really dad? Giving him a meat blanket instead of a real cape? You know how he helped us fend off Toffee. And Mom... I wasn't really in the 'right mind' and stuff when seeing him again. But you still let me take care of getting him situated on Mewni. He... He isn't very close to any of us anymore. But, I want that to change. I want to... I want to earn his love again. But you guys need to as well. So... Please be nicer to him, okay?" Moon and River had blank expressions before giving Star a wide smile. Star tackled into them, giving a loving hug. "Thanks, guys… Marco loved the hoodie-cape thing."

Moon and River hugged Star back, the family enjoying a bonding moment. "We will work with him more sweetie. And River?"

"Yes, Moonpie?" River asked with worry. "I won't… Give the boy another meat blanket again." Moon had a small smile.

"Very well. And I will ensure the guards know his place on Mewni better." Moon and River let Star go, seeing her run off to wherever Marco ran. "Our little girl is growing. Reminds me of when we were their age."

"I know the feeling." River and Moon smiled, seeing mirror reflections of themselves within Star and Marco.


	4. Into the Woods We Go

Marco paced around his room frantically, looking over a list intently and mumbling to himself. Sitting on his bed was a confused Star and semi-annoyed Tom, looking at two neatly packed backpacks. "Bro… Do wen eed all this stuff for a simple camping trip? I mean… Starship has her magic and I got my demon powers."

"Marco knows what he's doing and…" Star was cut off with Marco shoving a list in Tom's face. "Look, I know you are a worry wort but this is a bit much, buddy." Marco turned toward Star, having a stern expression.

"No, it isn't! I never did a camping trip on Mewni before and if my memories of those trials mean anything, Mewni is very dangerous." Marco rubbed his forehead, looking toward the backpacks. "Okay… So I have the fly repellant, the heat blankets, the… Oh! You two have your fanny packs on?"

"I'm not wearing that," Tom said deadpanned but was elbowed by Star. "What? It cramps my style." Star sighed, pulling up her shirt, showing a pink fanny pack. "Can't believe you." Star giggled, giving Tom a warm smile. Marco wiped his head and leaned on the wall relaxed at seeing his friends joyful.

"Ah, still have the one I gave you after that 'tour' across Mewni?" Marco snickered. "That nearly killed us… Thank goodness we had the heat blankets to avoid fire and that knot-breaking book for help knotting that dragon up."

"You know it! Marco got us out of some jams from his 'safe kid' stuff. I added something to the fanny pack though." Star dug through hers, taking out a few bobby pins. Marco just shook his head and smiled. "Though I don't think we need to worry about breaking out of anything, 'better safe than sorry' is what you always say."

"You mean said. I'm not super safe anymore, Star." She rolled her eyes and Marco smiled. He soon turned toward Tom, who had an unreadable expression.  _'He… He likely feels left out. Dang, it…'_ He sat down next to Tom, playfully punching his arm. "I'm sure you took Star on a camping trip with your family at some point. Exploring the underworld might have led to one heck of a trip."

Tom rubbed his neck, giving a small smile to Marco. "Starship and I had our fun exploring my home. But well… My dad has a bit of a temper and never really got along with her dad." Both Star and Tom shivered, recalling the Silver Bell Ball a few months back. "But my mom is really nice. I think you met her one time actually…"

Marco rubbed his chin before snapping his fingers. "Yeah! She stopped by one time to give us cookies when pulled that marathon. Can't believe we got the latest game in that series. It was sold out everywhere else!" Tom sighed at the memory, holding back a snicker. "Don't say I lost to you. But yeah, the cookies were really good." Star's jumped in-between Tom and Marco, throwing her arms around them.

"His mom makes the best sweets! We should all visit hang out at Tom's place later." Marco rubbed his arm, looking away. Tom and Star noticed, having worried looks. "Marco? You alright?"

"Uh… Shouldn't that be a 'couple' thing for you two? I don't want to be a third wheel and mess things up." Marco admitted truthfully. Tom sighed and got up, stretching his back.  _'Crud…'_ Marco coughed getting Tom's attention. "But if you guys  _want_ me to tag along, I won't mind."

Star looked at Tom, the two sharing a knowing look. She noticed his stern expression, puffing her cheeks in annoyance. "Well, let's just have fun with camping! I've been looking forward to this for a while now. Fiiiiinally has some free time for once."

"I know, can't believe your mom let you have the next few days off for 'fun' stuff. I swore you had more magic lessons and other stuff to do…" Marco shrugged his shoulders and chucked Tom his backpack, which was red with yellow stripes across it. "Oh and dude? Check the front pouch."

Tom dug through the pouch and after taking out a red rectangle, he smirked. "I don't think we can game in the woods; remember how these things have literally no battery life?" Marco folded his arms, pulling out a small black box. "Always thinking ahead…"

"I have to when I'm friends with a magical princess and a literal demon from hell, no offense or anything." The trio laughed at the joke and after gathering their things left the room. Marco was the last one to leave but stopped at the doorframe. He felt a genuine smile dance across his face.  _'This is going to be a good day. I have that feeling for some reason.'_ Marco closed his door and ran after Star and Tom.

* * *

Marco, Tom, and Star made their way to the throne room, seeing Queen Moon sitting on her throne relaxed. Looking down at Star, she gave a faint smile. "Hello, so you and your friends are going on a trip?"

"If that is okay with you, Queen Moon." Marco made a respectful bow, earning an odd look from Tom. "You are her  _boyfriend_ , so I think you should join me." Tom sighed, bowing toward Moon too. Moon chuckled at the act.

"Come on, you are both like family to me. And my daughter is very…" Star groaned loudly, silencing Moon. Marco raised an eyebrow as he got up, but Tom just fixed his backpack. "Anyway, my husband should be coming any…"

"HAAAAAA!" River jumped down right in front of Star, with Marco rolling to her side, ready to fight. He glared at River before recognizing him. "My boy! I'm ready for a tussle!" Marco closed his eyes but felt a crushing hug instead of a fist to the face.

"Uh… Hey, River." Marco lightly patted his back, with River putting him down. River patted his chest, marching over to Tom. "Mmm… I never recalled inviting you Prince Lucitor." Marco rubbed his neck, standing next to Tom.

"Actually, I invited him to come with us," Marco admitted, earning a shocked expression from Tom, eyes wide in surprise. "I figured, Star's boyfriend should join in on the fun of a camping trip… But please don't attack an eagle again."

"Eagle?" Tom asked in confusion as Star threw an arm around his shoulders. "But I wasn't invited? I thought you asked your dad about this…" Star bit her lip, looking away. She took Tom away, leaving Marco alone with River.

River sighed at the two leaving, leaving Marco confused. "Boy, why did you invite the demon fellow. I know you are smitten with my daughter." Marco looked around, noticing Star and Tom out of the room. Queen Moon got up and glared at her husband. "What? The boy came back to Mewni for a reason."

"Well… Tom is her boyfriend and it's not really fair if he's left out." Marco rubbed his neck. "Besides, I'm their best friend. I can't just, you know, 'take his place' for something important like a camping trip." He folded his arms, having a more stern expression. "And the Mewni forests are dangerous anyway. Tom has fire powers and really intense magic. While we are both able to fight, Star's safety is very important to me."

Queen Moon smirked at Marco's comments, walking up to him and patting his shoulder. "My daughter is lucky to have you as her squire. There was… A lot of logic to your thinking, Marco. But did Star ever tell you…"

River coughed, earning a frown from Moon. "Moonpie, that is for our pumpkin to say." Marco looked puzzled at the comment, earning a hearty laugh from River. "Nothing important my good lad! Tell me, you ready to explore the  _ **Forest of Death**_?"

"Yep." Marco held up his backpack up proudly. "I got everyone ready for…" Marco felt his face turn pale, realizing something. "I never made a travel pack for you! Oh, crud… I'm sorry sir." Marco took off his fanny pack, passing it to River. "Uh… Not much but use this if you want."

River took it and smiled. "Thank you!" Putting it over his head like a headband, River let out a small war cry. "Let's get my daughter and her boyfriend! AHHHH!" The king charged ahead, earning laughter from Moon and Marco.

"Promise to watch over my husband too, Marco." Marco gave a thumbs up and ran after River. Moon sat back down on her throne, rubbing her forehead. "I'm already exhausted and I am not even going camping."

* * *

Tom and Star were leaning on a pillar, watching Marco talk with Moon and River from the distance. Tom let out some hot breaths, glaring at Star. "I get we aren't a thing, but lying to your parent's about 'us'? That's not cool Starship."

"Uh… They know we aren't a thing." Star said, playing with her fingers. Tom let out a huff, making Star groan. "Don't be mad at me! We agreed to…"

"Yeah, I know," Tom answered back. "But why didn't you tell them about ME joining you two? I get you are trying to get closer to Marco again. But…" He sighed, growing a frown. "It hurts you know? Your parents don't even know my name. Yet they are saying Marco's like nothing."

"Well, we never really had a 'meet the parents' thing and…" Star froze, biting her lip. "Ugh… I was such a bad girlfriend." Tom gave a playful smile, something Star snickered at. "Yeah, okay. Say how I messed up."

"Why? I didn't say anything." Tom put hands behind his head, noticing Marco looking confused. "Seems your parents might be spilling the beans." Star looked at Marco, seeing him rub his chin about something before River ran toward their direction.

"Oh boy…" Star spoke to herself, gulping in slight fear. River jumped before Star and Tom, giving them a crushing hug. "Hey, daddy! I'm ready for  _ **adventure**_." Marco walked from behind, noticing Tom wheezing.

"Crushing… Bones… Let… Go… Please…" Tom begged, with River letting him go. He looked at Marco, having a baffled expression.

"He's a hugger man. You should get that by now, you are dating the master of hugging." Marco elbowed Tom. "Anyway, you guys ready to head out?" Marco took out his scissors but River shook his head. "Uh… How  _else_ are we getting there?"

River went on all fours, earning a confused look from Tom and Marco. "We ride." Star grinned hopping on his back, having a large smile on her face. Marco and Tom shrugged their shoulders, holding on to Star as River dashed out of the castle. The guards saw the front doors fly open, looking at one another before sighing at the sight.

* * *

After spending the past half hour racing across Mewni, River finally stopped near the forest of curtain death's entrance. Star jumped off River's back with grace but Marco noticed Tom clinging on to him for dear life. "Uh… We gotta get off now." Tom blinked, letting go of Marco and sliding off River's back. Marco just hopped off and dug into his backpack, taking out a water bottle. "Here River. Thank you for taking us here but… Why didn't we just use my scissors?"

River slugged down the water like a wild animal and stretched his back. "Because, my boy, to get the blood pumping and my  _adventure nerves_ ready for anything." Marco snickered and fixed the hold on his backpack. He looked over to Star, who was smelling the 'lovely' aromas fondly, recalling memories of her first time here many years ago.

"The smell of death and screaming is wonderful sometimes…" Star said aloud, earning an eye roll from Tom. Marco just blinked, shaking his head. "What?"

"Nothing…" Tom and Marco said unison, walking next to Star. But to their surprise, River stopped them. Marco just stood still while Tom narrowed his eyes.

"Boy's, I know how 'wild' it can get out there. And as a precaution for my daughter's safety… Only one of you can travel with her at once." Tom's third eye twitched while Marco folded his arms annoyed. Star looked at River in confusion.

"What? River… I know how to fight very well and Tom has  _fire powers_. If anything, Star's safer with  _both_ of us around her." River raised his eyebrow. "I mean… Us traveling  _together_ is a lot safer anyway. How about the four of us travel as a team, instead of splitting up."

"Very well!" River clapped his hands, starting to walk ahead. Tom just shook his head and walked next to River. Marco and Star followed from behind, chatting away about something. Tom looked at him, feeling something inside him get warm. "Tom, I know what is really happening here."

Tom looked at River, who had a serious expression on his face. "What do you mean, sir?" River folded his arms, not making any eye-contact as he walked.

"I have tested Marco many times, protecting my daughter. You know  _why_ she was entrusted under his family on Earth?" Tom rubbed his chin, shaking his head in response. "Well, it was a gamble. While I was aware of the Diaz Families son being able to fight with my  _cough_ research, my wife had no idea about Marco. You know Marco and Star very well. Tell me, what do you see when you look at them?"

Tom looked at him, seeing Star smile at some joke Marco was making. "A happy couple…" Tom said softly, shoving hands in his torn up pants. River patted Tom's shoulder, giving a faint smile. "Why are you asking me? Star told me that you and Queen Moon are…"

"Aware of the interesting… 'complications' of Star's choice of suitor. When I saw you and my pumpkin dance at that ball, I was very impressed." Tom smiled, feeling his heart warm up at the memory. "But, you were present during Song Day. And had to contact with Marco many a time." Tom nodded, biting his lip. "So, why did you and my daughter date again?"

"I guess… So we don't feel lonely anymore, sir. Star left out somethings but I got the idea; Marco was with that Jackie person and Star felt rejected. She kept trying to call me after the ball and after my demoncism, we really hit it off. I really thought she loved me." Tom folded his arms, feeling annoyance come over. "But I was just rebound…"

River bit his lip, recalling a memory. "You think things were easy with me and Moon?" Tom shook his head, as River sighed. "During our youth, Moon was forced into dating some  _jerk_. I hated that fellow and despite our close bond, she stayed with him for a good year or so. Things sorted themselves out and I finally had the nerve to confess my feelings. I'm sure you…"

"You don't have to say  _anything else_ , I get the picture." Tom waved his hands, earning a slap in the back form River. "But… What should I do? Clearly Star and Marco like one another… Just both are kind of…"

"Clueless." River said casually, making Tom snicker to himself. "You teenagers are all like that, not sure WHAT you want. I was like that at your age, trying to FIGHT TO GET WHAT I WANT! But… That doesn't work well."

"You know… This is the first time I got to talk to you one-on-one like this. Thanks, man." Tom held out his hand, which River shook. "I want to be Star's friend anyway… But the feelings hurt inside. Time heals all wounds. …Well, that's what dad told me one time."

River nervously laughed, rubbing his neck. "Lad, sorry about fighting your father often. We don't… Get along well sometimes." Tom waved his hand, feeling a grin grow on his face.

* * *

The group made their way toward a small patch of land, surrounded by tall trees and various bushes. Marco rubbed his chin, pulling out a map and trying to study something. "This is the right spot and…" River yanked the map right out of Marco's hands and started chewing it. "…Now it's gone. Welp, guess we are using our 'adventuring nerves', huh?"

River burped, patting his chest. "You know it boy! Now, you get the fire ready while I  _hunt our meal._ " He charged ahead, earning a chuckle from Star. She looked at Marco, having a small smirk.

"You go and have fun. I got things covered here." Marco gave a thumbs up and Star rushed to her father's side, the two screaming some odd Mewman war cry. Looking through his backpack, Marco took out some sleeping blankets and one large tent. "Mmm… Is this enough? I know I packed a tent into each pack…"

Tom just sat on a log, intently studying Marco. "Why are you so cool about everything?" Marco raised an eyebrow at the comment, continuing to unpack his bag. "I mean, no offense, you aren't magical like Star or myself. Aren't you scared about traveling here?"

"Dude, I chopped your  _hand off_ when we first met. I was in a small box and getting nearly crushed to death by an angry lizard. I even spent sixteen years in another dimension to earn  _these_ beauties." Marco proudly held up his scissors, letting a wide grin form. "I get scared, but mainly… Cause I am worried about Star. I can take care of myself."

Tom made a 'huh' sound, smiling at his friend. "Can't believe we are friends." Marco laughed, sighing at some memories. "But I need to be real here. What's up with…" Tom shut up, feeling hearing a twig snap. Marco took a deep breath, sitting down on the log across from Tom.

"We talked about this, remember? I'm  _cool_ with things." Marco started tossing wood into the center, harshly chucking each branch. "Why wouldn't I be cool anyway? You make her happy and… Well, what more can I ask for? You two are my friends, my closest friends." Marco sighed, taking out two rocks from his royal hoodie.

"But you had to feel  _something_ after Song Day dude. She's your best friend and I  _know_ how you look at her." Marco looked at Tom, his eyes growing wide before narrowing in an instant. Marco banged the rocks, locking his vision on the wood.

"It's  **not** like I'm completely  **okay**  about things. It sucked seeing her treat me like  **nothing** at first but we patched that  **up** recently. But seeing you two get all  **lovely dovely** is a bit annoying, though all couples do that. I  **did** that with Jackie and Star tagged along." Marco felt his hands shake, slamming the rocks harder. " **But** every  **time** something  **happened** I was there for Star. She  **wasn't there for ME WHEN…** " Marco threw the rocks down and sprang up in rage. "What are you doing man!?"

Tom stood up, feeling some flames simmer from his fists. "I'm trying to find something OUT! You are too close to Star." Marco's eye twitched, clenching fists. "Oh, just lay into me. Go ahead!"

Marco was going to enter fighting stance but paused.  _'No… This isn't right. Star wouldn't like this and Tom… He's my friend. I…'_ Taking a deep breath, Marco walked up to Tom, giving a somber frown. "Sorry for that... You are her boyfriend… I will be honest about a few things." Sitting down next to him, Marco folded his hands. "I like her. A lot, okay? It's… I only ever been this up-front about my feelings to Kelly and Hekapoo. I promise, to not mess things up between you and Star." He held out his fist, giving a weak grin. "That's what bro's do after all; having each other's back."

Tom blinked, unsure what to say next as he pounded Marco's fist. "…Okay, you are upfront, I will be too. Starship and I… We aren't dating anymore." He looked at the pile of wood, flicking a small fireball at it. Marco looked at the fire before him, seeing it slowly grow around the burning wood.

"Sometimes… Making a campfire is hard." Marco made a small smile, relaxing his nerves. "It doesn't always light up sometimes. But you keep at it, the fire turns into this amazing thing. Sadly though… The fire can be quite weak. It's how much you put into the fire. It's… very hard to keep throwing in wood, for a fire that just doesn't want to stay lit. I… I know that better than anyone." Marco folded his hands together, looking at the burning embers. "Seeing that fire lit is great though. Bright like…"

"A shining star." Tom continued, standing up and walking toward a pile of branches. "Yeah, she sure shines brightly. Trying to make her stay lit is a team effort though." Tom gave Marco some branches, giving him a smirk.

Marco smiled back, taking the branches and tossing a few into the flames. "That's how you make a great fire." The two boy's looked at the flames, feeling something shift inside them.  _'Thank you for being a real bro, Tom. I won't let you down.'_ Taking turns tossing wood into the open flames, they just relaxed, as if an unknown wall was broken down between them.

* * *

River slowly crawled on all fours, hearing the sounds of wildlife around him. Sniffing with his heightened senses, he glared forward, pointing ahead. " _There is our target_." Star crawled next to him, using her magic to poof up binoculars. She saw a larger bear, its brown fur somewhat matted and one paw having some of its claw scrapped up. " _Prepare the trap_."

Star gave a mock salute and slowly hid into a bush. Rolling toward another bush and climbing up a tree, her eyes were wild, fierce blue studying the target. Having a dark grin, she uses her wand to summon a rainbow lasso, making careful knots across her branch. Tossing the other end of the rope toward another tree, Star tapped the rope with her wand. It made a faint glow before it seemingly vanished. Looking at River with a thumbs up, she slid down the tree and the two made their way away from the bear.

Watching the bear from a further distance, the two watched the bear intently, seeing it inch its way closer to the rope. Just as it was going to stomp forward, the bear snapped its head, looking in another direction. Rushing off, Star and River groaned. "Lost our meal. Sorry pumpkin."

"Well… There are other animals to…" Just as Star was going to finish, they heard some screaming. Star rushed toward the noise, seeing a familiar face. She was an older lady having some crazy bug-eyes and wearing only a loincloth. "Dad? It's that crazy lady…  _Again_." Star zapped her down from the rope, tapping an arm in annoyance. "Look, Jelly. Go study some other place."

Jelly looked at Star intently, before rushing off as she tightly clenched a squirrel. The river rushed toward Star, noticing his daughter pouting in defeat. "How about we find some rare Mewni fruits! I'm sure they have the wild berries and 'oranges' growing in these parts."

Star sighed, giving a smile to River. "Sounds good dad." The two started their walk, jumping and sliding over branches in the way. Star closed her eyes, letting a memory play in her mind. River noticed her heart marks glowing.

"What are you thinking about?" River questioned lightly, keeping up with his daughter's fast walking speed. Star opened her eyes, but the smile never left.

"It's been so long since we hung out like this, dad. You are busy helping Mom out with things. While I've been doing all 'princess' junk lately. Never have time for, you know,  _fun_  stuff like this." River nodded in agreement, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I miss Earth sometimes, where I can just… Well, goof off and not worry about anything. Times changed though… I gotta keep up being a better princess."

"That is my girl. Tell me, how have your efforts gone?" River gave a warm smile. Star rubbed her chin, entering into deep thought.

"Let's see… The Silver Bell Ball went surprisingly well, though you kept fighting with Mr. Lucitor. Why do you hate him so much anyway?" Star hopped over a log as River landed next to her. "He's really sweet, always offering to teach me fire magic whenever I visit him with Tom."

"Well, it's a king thing, you wouldn't understand." River hand waved, earning a snicker from Star. "We have jolly good tussles! I beat him in Mewni's Annual King-Off five years running." Star rolled her eyes as River laughed boastfully. "But enough about me. Anything else?"

She tapped her chin, pondering a thought. Her smile turned into a thin one, looking ahead with a blank expression. "I helped Marco get used to Mewni again… Though it felt,  _off_ seeing him at first. It was like my brain was screaming 'Kick that jerk away!' while my heart was screaming to let him back in. That ever happen to you?"

"I wasn't very welcoming to the boy either, so we are both at fault." River admitted. "But water under the bridge, as they say! I'm sure you took him on adventures." Star smiled, looking ahead and seeing the trees get a brighter hue.

"I wouldn't call them that, but visiting Quest Buy and helping him say something important was nice. Even Pony Head joined us for one of them!" Star giggled girlishly at a thought. "We put on the silliest outfits at Quest Buy at the end. I wrote a literal  _tree_."

"Trees are MIGHTY WARRIORS! You embrace the stumps power!" River shouted, causing them both to burst out laughing. As the laughter calmed down, they found two large trees, each growing different fruits, and berries. "Anyway, before we start our hunt… Tell me this." Star stopped before the tree, sliding down somewhat before fully climbing it. River patted on a log nearby, which Star sat down on. "This is a talk you should be having with your mother, but I need to know. What do you intend on doing with the boys?"

"Boys?" Star asked in confusion, but River's stern expression answered it. She looked away, playing with her fingers. "I mean… I and Tom aren't together anymore. And I do like Marco."

"Do you?" River asked. Star blinked, feeling her eyes narrow. "Love is something tricky, believe me. I saw your mother face your  _very_ situation right now. But those two lads are fine warriors, each having an eye for you." He folded his arms, having a softer look. "You can't have them both."

"I… I know that," Star admitted, looking at her father's eyes. "I want Marco… But I don't want to keep hurting him and Tom. Bad enough Tom's hurt for me being so… Messy with my own feelings."

"Don't worry about the Lucitor boy, stronger than you think." He poked Star's noise, making her smile. "But are you  _sure_ about Marco? I don't want either of you to continue getting hurt." Star frowned, curling into a ball. River put his arm around Star, gently rubbing her back. "You are such a strong person. But the heart is something…"

"I stink at understanding, I know," Star admitted, gritting her teeth. "I… I don't know what I want sometimes and just always run away from things. But Marco… I can't run away from. I gotta face this head on. Even if it hurts."

"It won't though." River ensured. "The boy does care about you. I want you to be happy, my little Starshine. Do what makes you happy, for your old man's sake." Star hugged River, feeling a wide beaming smile grow on her face.

"Thank you, daddy."Star let go, having confidence oozing around her. "Now, let's get us some foods!" Star aimed her wand at the tree and River tackled into the other one. The duo using magic and raw strength, pounded away to get the rainfall of fruits. River kept looking at his daughter, seeing her blue eyes get a spark of life. He smiled at the sight, recalling that same expression during their last camping trip together on Earth.

* * *

Normally, the sound of peaceful silence graced the Forest of Death, outside of the odd scream or two, during nightfall. But sounds of burning rubber and smashing shells instead coated the airwaves, with Tom and Marco huddled around a small screen on a stump.

"Ah! Going to beat you demon boy." Marco mashed buttons on his small controller, jumping over a ramp and gliding across the race course. Tom smirked, pressing buttons on his blue controller. Chucking a green shell, Marco fell out of the sky. Looking toward Tom, Marco witnessed Tom's character giving him a leer before rushing at the finish line.

"Seems like I'm going to win, Diaz. Unless you have a second item to throw." Marco grinned, pressing a button. A blue shell shot directly toward Tom's character, stumbling in place. Marco dashed past Tom, winning the race. Raising an eyebrow playfully, Tom snapped the controller in half. "Ugh… Stupid cheap joy-things…"

"Lucky I bought an extra set." Marco slot one on the system's side and sighed. "You need to stop breaking my controller's man. These aren't cheap." Tom rolled his eyes and looked up at the sky. One of Mewni's many moons was slowly shining down, with a blue sky taking a darker hue. Marco looked up, feeling his chest tighten. "How  _long_ have we been playing this?"

Tom put the system away, passing the extra controller to Marco. "I think, about two hours or so?" Marco's eyes went wide, looking around in panic. "Calm down! Star should be fine."

"We are in  _the forest of_ _ **death**_  Tom. Star and River being gone this long aren't good!" He threw his backpack on, spinning around his dimensional scissors. "Okay… Let me try something." Closing his eyes, he thought of only Star. Making a rift in space, Marco saw Star and River on the other side, sleeping next to a pile of fruits. "Phew… They are fine."

Tom saw the portal, rubbing his chin. "Didn't take Starship as a heavy sleeper." Marco gave a questioning look, earning some groaning from Tom. "Sorry, but we haven't watched a movie together in a few weeks."

"Star sleeps heavy even  _without_ watching movies man." Marco walked toward the portal, with Tom following along. They hopped on the other side, seeing Star and River contently relaxing. Before they could wake them though, a loud growl was heard. "…Please tell me that was your gut, Tom."

Tom shook his head, clenching his fists. "No, but I think those two are hungry." Marco and Tom looked at the two large bear creatures, each having massive claws and small black eyes. Locking their vision on to Star and River, they charged at them. Tom slid over and cast a fire shield, blocking their swipes and making one hiss at the burns. "I might need some help here!"

Marco nodded, snapping his scissors in half. Rushing ahead, he made a small portal and hopped into it. Tom looked in confusion, before hearing a loud crunch. Marco flew we behind one of the bears, sending them crashing down with an aerial kick. Landing next to the bear, Marco rolled away before the other bear could make a swipe. Snapping his blades together, Marco charged into its leg, making a small stab in its foot.

Hissing in pain, the bear staged in place. Giving Tom a knowing look, Marco slid back as Tom unleashed a storm of flames, making the two bears scream a mighty growl. Both crashed into the ground after Tom's attack, knocked out could from intense burns. Marco and Tom gave each other a thumbs up, before turning toward the waking figure of Star. Chapping her lips, she looked at the knocked out bears and battle-worn Tom & Marco. "I ate the sleeping apple, huh?"

"Mewni has sleeping apples…" Marco asked deadpan, earning a nod from Star. He tried to hold back a laugh but couldn't help himself. "Next you are going to tell me a witch gave it to you." Tom snickered at the comment, earning a pout from Star. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, though Dad ate like, eight of them. I only had one before getting knocked out." River snored loudly, his right leg twitching somewhat. Star looked at the bears, folding her arms smugly. "So my two favorite boy's took out animals for me?"

"Uh… Maybe?" Tom answered in a confused tone. Marco just sighed and he tried helping River up. He shot a semi-annoyed look at Star and Tom. "Right! Dad needs help." Star jumped into the air, turning into her butterfly form. Making a portal with one hand, she picked River up and carried him inside the rift. Marco and Tom carried the leftover fruits and berries, hopping in after her.

Unknowing to them, the two bears woke up right after they left. Eying the two half-eaten apples, they dug into them, feeling better after the intense fight. "Ouch… That hurt. Who knew the princess had TWO guardians. Thought it was only that 'Princess Marco' fellow our boss hates so much."

"I think she's dating a demon prince, who was the one that burned us." The bear hissed, rubbing its arm. "We need a dip into the cold water soon."

The other bear yawned, walking on all fours. "Before we pass out, let's find a place to recover our strength." The other bear nodded, before taking one extra bite of his apple. Walking away, the two vanished into the green.

* * *

An hour passed after coming back to the campsite, with Tom and Star watching a movie together on Marco's tablet. Marco though, munched on some berries, seeing the Mewni skies shining a bright white and yellow. Sighing contently, Marco laid down, resting his head on his make-shift pillow made out of leaves and a space blanket. Closing his eyes, Marco drifted into sleep, having a wide smile on his face.

Star and Tom noticed Marco keeping distance, enjoying the Mewni skies. "You should talk to him about  _the thing_. He knows we broke up." Tom munched on some berries. Star sighed, nodding as she got up. "You got this."

"Thanks, Tom." Star stopped, before turning around and kissing Tom on the cheek. "I promise to be a good friend to you too. Sorry if I hurt you." Tom blinked, waving his hand casually but Star had a serious expression. "I… We both were in a bad place, when we hooked up again. I wasn't fair to you, just… Us going out right after coming back home."

"Starship, it's cool," Tom said firmly, standing up and pausing the movie. "Am I angry right now?" Star pointed to Tom's head, with a little flame coming off it. "Okay, I  _am_ a bit annoyed but this will pass. But I realized something. You need  _both_ Marco and myself in your life. Not just one of us. So… I accept being the 'cool demon friend' while he's 'the future king of Mewni'. Besides, beats me taking the role. Who knows if I can even sit on a throne for hours at a time…"

"You are going to do that in a few years," Star said deadpanned, making Tom blink. He laughed, shaking his head. He threw his arm around Star, the two looking up at the moons.

"Point taken. But I work better as an ally, not a partner. Us together… Makes me a bit antsier, agitated. But worst of all, possessive and angry." He sighed, letting go of Star. "Traits I  **hate**  myself." Tom lightly pushed Star away. "Just talk to him already, kid's passed out cold."

Star smiled and walked toward Marco. Sitting down next to Marco, Star looked up at the sky, taking Marco's hand and giving it a firm squeeze. "Hey, buddy. Uh… We got alooooot to talk about, but only once you're ready."

"You know, I was willing to talk about 'the feelings' for a while now." Star looked at Marco, who had his eyes wide open. "But I found out about your thing with Tom ending. If I had any…"

"No, we ended things because, well, we both just used each other." Star took a deep breath and sighed. "Both of us didn't want to feel lonely anymore and I wasn't even sure if you were ever going to come back. So… I kind of latched on to Tom. It felt nice but in the end… My heart wanted you."

"You… You still like me?" Marco asked dumbfounded, feeling his own chest rapidly beat. "I… Wow…" Marco laughed to himself, earning a sour look from Star. "Knowing that would have made my realization a lot easier to accept. Well, I like you too. I have for a while, I think." Marco rubbed his neck, giving a sheepishly smile. "Guess my brain was a bit slow on the uptake."

"It's fine." Star elbowed Marco, both noticing the moon shift it's hue to a red sheen. "So… What happens now?" Marco folds his arms, a frown forming on his face.

"I don't know." He answered bluntly, unable to look into Star's blue eyes. "We hurt each other for no good reason. I felt replaced, you felt rejected. We both felt different levels of hurt. For best friends that click, we have a lot of baggage to sort out."

"I guess you're right," Star said somberly, sighing in defeat. "But I want to make 'us' work." Marco turned to her, having a fearful expression.

"We just reformed our  _friendship_ recently. Should… Should we even take this risk?" Marco asked seriously but was cut off with a hug from Star. She held him tight, answering his question. "I'm always up for your wild rides. But I don't want us to crash and burn."

"I'm wearing my seat belt." Star joked, with Marco hugging her back. "Are you wearing yours?" Marco snickered, looking Star in the eye.

"Not only my seat belt but a helmet and shoulder pads." Star giggled and the two soon busted into laughter. "What? We get into a lot of trouble." Star wiped a tear away and held Marco's hand. "I promise to never hurt you again."

"I promise to never hurt you either, Marco." She kissed his cheek and laid down next to him. Marco took out another space blanket, covering the two of them. Holding each other's hand, they just watched the red moonshine down upon them, confident in a bright future.


End file.
